Someone Different
by ljee
Summary: AU fic. Alison is a high school student, who moves to a new city, there she meets a deaf girl named Emily Fields.
1. Chapter 1

Someone Different Chapter 1

Alison DiLaurentis was sitting the backseat of her parents car. The family was moving to Philadelphia from Rosewood. Alison was upset at first by the move. She had grown up in Rosewood and was going to miss her friends. But the one person she wouldn't miss was her ex-girlfriend Sarah who had cheated on her six months before. The teen was listening to music on her iPod. The reason for the move to Philadelphia was because her father Kenneth got a job transfer.

The family arrived in Philadelphia and settled into their new home over the next week. Alison then started at her new school, Wilson High School. On her first day of school, she noticed another school across the street from Wilson. The sign on the other school read Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Alison didn't think much about the other school. She went through her first day of school well. But she really had not made any friends. She felt lonely mostly because back in Rosewood she in a popular clique.

At the end of the day, she started to make her way home on foot. Her home was about a mile and a half away.

She was about half way home when she saw a group of boys in a circle, it looked like they were laughing at someone or something. As Alison got closer she heard one of the boys say, "I love making fun of the deaf kids."

Then Alison saw a dark hair haired girl on the ground crying. Some boys were throwing crumpled papers at her.

The young blonde saw the look of fear in the dark haired girls' eyes. Something in those eyes made Alison want to help. Back in Rosewood, she had seen kids get bullied, but never did anything. Here she decided to do something.

"Leave her alone." Alison yelled.

One of the boys said, "What are you going to do about it?"

Alison then kicked that boy between the legs. The rest of the boys then left. The dark haired girl stayed crying and she looked up at Alison.

The blonde slowly knelt down and said, "I won't hurt you. My name is Alison"

The dark haired girl then pulled out a small notepad and a pen from her backpack. She wrote on the pad for a few minutes and then showed Alison.

Alison read the pad which stated, _"Thank you for helping me. My name is Emily and I'm deaf, I go to school across the street. I can read lips, but I'm not always right. Did you say that your name is Alison?" _

Alison then showed the note to Emily and pointed to her name and nodded.

The blonde said, "You can call me Ali too."

Emily smiled.

Emily then got up off the ground and put her backpack on one of her shoulders. She then started to walk away. Alison then followed her and tapped her on the shoulder.

She said to Emily, "About I walk with you for awhile, in case those boys come back."

Emily just nodded. She followed Emily across the street to the School for the Deaf.

A short brunette girl then came up to them and started communicating with Emily in sign language. Alison was curious about their conversation. Emily then wrote on the notepad and handed it to Alison.

The new note read, _"This is my friend Aria, she goes to school here too." _

Alison nervously waved at the short girl and said, "Hi", hoping that the other girl read lips like Emily. Aria smiled at Alison.

Aria then went back into one of the buildings. Emily then led Alison to some benches in the school courtyard.

They sat down. Alison then said, "Do you like this school?"

Emily wrote down, _"I like it a lot. I've been coming to school here my whole life. I live in the dorms here. My dad is in the Army and he and my mom are in Texas for awhile. You probably go to Wilson High School right" _

Ali said, "I just started at Wilson. My family just moved her last week."

Emily wrote, _"Where did you move from?"_

"I moved from a town called Rosewood."

The brunette then wrote, _"Small town?"_

The blonde nodded.

Ali then looked at her watch and saw that she needed to be home soon. Her parents were going out on a business dinner and she was invited as well. She told Emily that she had to go, but asked if Emily had a cell phone. Emily then pulled an iPhone. She then wrote in the note app, "I have this for phone for texting."

Alison pulled out her phone and said, "Here put your number in my phone. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow after school?"

Emily took the phone and put her information in the contacts. Alison said bye to her and walked off.

The brunette then headed to her dorm. As she entered, she saw her roommate Spencer Hastings on her laptop.

Spencer saw her and signed, _"Aria saw you with a hearing girl awhile ago. Why were you with a hearing girl?" _

Emily signed, _"I wanted to go to Starbucks for coffee. On my way there, some boys from Wilson High started to teasing me and throwing papers at me. That girl Alison defended me, she made the boys go away." _

Spencer signed, _"You shouldn't go off on your own. Some hearing people are really mean." _

"_I know."_ Emily signed back.

An hour later, Emily and Spencer headed into the dinning area to have dinner with Aria and another friend Hanna Marin. Emily told Hanna about what happened to her earlier and how Alison helped her out.

* * *

It was 9:30 pm. Alison and her parent had come back from dinner. The blonde went up to her room. She still thought about Emily. She thought the girl was pretty, but she had never been around people with disabilities. Well, maybe except for the occasional elderly wheelchair bound person. Alison pulled out her laptop and pulled up a Google page, she typed, "sign language" in the search bar and then looked at the list and clicked on a link title, "ASL alphabet". She clicked on it and looked through the online alphabet chart. She then looked at a few online sites and decided to download an ASL e-book to her iPad. The girl then looked through the e-book.

* * *

The next day after school, Alison's phone buzzed and it was text from Emily that read, "Want to meet at Starbucks?"

Alison texted back with a yes. She then walked to the Starbucks and saw Emily with Aria. Emily smiled and waved and Aria did the same thing.

Alison remembered the sign for "Hello" and did it.

Both Aria and Emily smiled. Emily pulled out her phone and typed into the note app, _"I see that you learned a sign. That is good. Sign language can be hard to learn though."_

Alison said, "I know. I want to learn, it might take me awhile. I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn, especially since our schools are across from each other."

The three girls then went into the shop and Alison was surprised when the male barista started signing to Aria and Emily.

The male barista faced Alison said, "Hi I'm Toby. I know sign language and I've known some of the deaf school students for awhile. The girls said your name is Alison. It's nice to meet you."

Alison said, "Nice to meet you too."

Toby then signed and said, "What do you three want to drink?"

Alison allowed the other girls to sign their orders first and then she told Toby her order. Toby then signed and said that the orders would be ready in several minutes.

The girls went and found a table. Alison had been wondering if the girls spoke with their voices. She was nervous, but she decided to ask.

She looked at them and said, "I don't know if I should ask this, but are you two able to speak?"

Emily typed into her phone and showed it to Alison, "We are able to. I don't speak ever though. Aria speaks sometimes."

Aria then nervously said, "Hello."

Alison noticed that the word sounded different from Aria's voice, but she couldn't describe how Aria sounded.

Toby then called out for Alison than the drinks were ready. She pointed to the counter and the three girls went over and got their drinks.

The girls went back to their table and communicated through the note app on their phones. Ali did wonder why Aria didn't speak to her more. She figured that the girl was probably uncomfortable.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Ali entered her home. Her parents weren't home. She went up to her room and did homework. She pulled out her iPad and began reading the ASL e-book. She did some of the beginner signing exercises.

* * *

Meanwhile at the deaf school, Emily was having dinner with her friends as usual. Halfway through dinner, Hanna's boyfriend Caleb Rivers came up to the table. He greeted all of the girls in sign and he then bent down and kissed Hanna. A few minutes later, Hanna and Caleb left the table.

Aria signed, _"I wish I had a boyfriend." _

Spencer signed, _"Me too."_

Aria then faced Emily and signed, "_Do you wish you had a girlfriend?" _

Several months before, Emily came out to her best friends. All of them supported her and agreed to keep her secret. Emily didn't want her parents to know about her sexual orientation. She had known since a young age that her mother didn't approve of homosexuality.

Emily signed to Aria, _"I sometimes wish I had a girlfriend. But you know how things are complicated for me with my parents." _

Aria just nodded.

Spencer then signed, _"I have a crush on Toby."_

Aria signed, _"You should ask him out. He knows sign language and is really nice." _

Spencer signed, _"I'm scared. I don't know if would want to date a deaf girl. I also don't know if I could relate to a hearing guy. Hanna seems to be happy with Caleb since he is deaf too." _

Emily signed, _"Maybe you should try with Toby. You won't know unless you try." _

Spencer just nodded.

Awhile later, in Emily's dorm room, she set up her laptop to video chat with her parents. She wanted for her parents to come online.

She then saw the image of her parents on the screen. Her father Wayne was wearing his military fatigues and she could tell that her mother Pam was wearing running clothes. Running was something she enjoyed doing with her mother.

Pam and Wayne in unison signed, "_Hi Emily."_

She signed hello back to them.

Wayne first signed, _"How is school going?" _

Emily replied that it was going fine.

Pam then signed, _"Have any boyfriends?" _

Emily was slightly embarrassed and signed no.

Pam signed, _"Sweetie, we are ok if you want to start dating. Is your friend still dating that boy Caleb? Maybe find a boy at your school and ask him out." _

The teen signed, _"Yes, Hanna is still dating Caleb. I really can't think of a boy from school that I would be interested in. Mom can you drop the subject of boys?" _

The mother signed, _"Ok sweetie." _

Emily and her parents discussed other things. She mentioned her new friendship with Alison. Her parents were a bit concerned with her being a friends with a hearing person. Both Pam and Wayne remembered some bad incidents involving hearing people around Emily. Her father told her that they would be going up to Philly for Thanksgiving and they would visit with Emily. Emily was happy about that. She missed her parents since they moved to Texas. She could have moved with them, but decided not to since she spent all her previous school years at Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. She stayed with Aria's family for awhile, but Aria's father and mother decided to spend a year in New Zealand because Aria's father got hired at a college there. So Aria and Emily moved into the dorms. Aria was rooming with Hanna. Emily later logged off the video chat.

She laid down on her bed. She really wished that she could come out as a lesbian to her parents, but she was scared of them. She knew that their lives had always been difficult since Emily was deaf since birth. She remembered the looks of frustration on her parents' faces back when she was a very young child. It took Pam and Wayne a long time to accept that their daughter was deaf. The teen began to cry when she remembered the past. Eventually she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Someone Different Chapter 2

Ali and Emily didn't see each other for the next couple of days. Each was busy with school and other things. In between homework, school, and still getting settled into her new home, Ali studied sign language. With Emily, the deaf teen was thinking more about college since it was her junior year. She thought mostly about Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., which was a college for deaf and hard of hearing people. But at the same time, she wanted a change. She wanted experience in a hearing college.

Ali walked into Starbucks and spotted Toby behind the counter. Luckily, the place wasn't packed. She went up to the counter. Toby greeted her.

The blonde asked, "Hey, Toby I was wondering if you could help me with learning sign language?"

Toby smiled and said, "Sure. About you meet me tomorrow here at 4 pm. I get off at 3:30."

* * *

At the deaf school dining area, Emily was having dinner with her friends as usual. The girls discussed different things. Ashley Marin Wilson then went up to the table. Ashley was Hanna's mother and she was also deaf.

Ashley hugged all of the girls.

Hanna signed, _"What are you doing in Philly Mom?"_

Ashely responded, _"I will be here on a work trip and I figured I would see my girls."_

Ashley had remarried four years before. Her new husband got a job transfer to New Jersey. So she allowed Hanna to remain Philadelphia and live in the dorms. She visited Hanna often and even invited Emily, Spencer, and Aria to spend weekends with them in New Jersey.

Ashley signed, _"Hanna, how is Caleb doing?"_

Hanna responded, "_He is doing well. He wants you to meet his foster parents."_

Caleb had been in foster care since age 4. His parents turned him over to the state because they couldn't handle his deafness and many people refused to adopt him because of his disability.

Ashley signed, _"I would love to meet them."_

Ashley then chatted with the other girls. She loved the girls like her daughter and the girls loved her too. Since Ashley was also deaf, she served as a deaf role model to them in a way. Spencer, Aria, and Emily sometimes felt more comfortable discussing certain things with her, because she understood certain things, that their hearing parents sometimes didn't completely understand.

Spencer signed, _"Ashley, what is it like being in relationships with hearing people?"_

Emily was glad that Spencer asked because also wondered the same thing.

Ashley signed,_ "It is interesting and sometimes it is hard. Ashley's father Tom was sweet to me, but I know there were times it was difficult because I didn't understand the hearing world completely and he didn't understand the deaf world completely. We had to make compromises and adjustments all the time. It is the same with Ted."_

Spencer signed,_ "The reason I asked you is because I'm thinking about asking a hearing boy out on a date."_

Ashley smiled and signed, _"Spencer, I know it will be nerve wracking, but just stay calm and don't worry too much about the differences."_

Spencer went over and hugged Ashley.

Ashley then signed,_ "Do any of you other girls have boyfriends or crushes?"_

Aria signed,_ "No"._

Emily also signed the same thing.

The group of friends months earlier agreed to keep Emily's sexual orientation a secret from their parents. They worried that one of their parents might contact Pam and Wayne about Emily being a lesbian.

* * *

Ali met with Toby the next day at the Starbucks. As she walked in, she saw him at a table with two drinks.

He motioned her to come over and said, "Hi Ali, I already got you a drink."

"Oh, thank you." The blonde said, as she sat down.

She noticed a set of flash cards on the table.

Toby said, "I brought these flash cards and you can have them. I really don't need them anymore. I have been signing for two years now."

Ali said, "Why did you learn sign language?"

Toby got slightly embarrassed, "Well, I had to do community service at the deaf school. I got in trouble when I was in younger and it was apart of the agreement with the juvenile court. I made friends with the kids there and I started learning more and more."

Ali said, "You seem really good at it. I think I want to learn mostly because I like Emily and Aria."

Toby said, "Yeah, they are nice girls. Have you met their other friends Spencer and Hanna?

Ali shook her head no.

The two then started going over some of the flash cards. Toby gave her tips on how to remember certain signs better.

Eventually, Spencer, Aria, Emily, Caleb, and Hanna entered the cafe. Aria was the first to spot Toby and Ali. Spencer got jealous at the sight of Toby being with another girl.

Toby waved to the group and motioned for them to come over. Ali saw Emily and her heart melted a bit.

Toby said and signed, "Hi. I was meeting up with Ali here. She wanted some help with learning sign language."

Aria and Emily greeted Ali.

Emily then signed,_ "These are other friends Spencer and Hanna and this Hanna's boyfriend Caleb."_ Toby told Ali what Emily signed.

Emily signed to Spencer, Caleb, and Hanna, "This is Ali, the hearing girl who helped me the other day."

Hanna and Caleb smiled and waved at Ali. Spencer did the same, but her expression was less friendly than Hanna and Caleb's expressions.

Toby then signed to the deaf girls and Caleb, if they wanted him to make their orders. The deaf teens agreed knowing that it would be better for Toby to make their orders. They gave him money. Toby told them to sit with him and Ali, while he ordered and got their drinks.

Ali looked directly at Emily and asked, "What have you been up to?"

Emily using her phone's note app, typed, _"Just busy getting used to the school year. About you?"_

In response, Ali said, "It's the same. My parents and I are still getting settled in our new house."

Ali then asked, "Maybe we could go out to the movies sometime."

The deaf teens were a bit saddened when they read Ali's lips about the movie suggestion.

Spencer faced Emily and signed,_ "This dumb hearing girl doesn't realize that most movie theaters aren't accessible to people like us."_

Emily signed, _"Don't be hard Spencer. Many people don't realize that. She is a nice girl and she means no harm."_

Spencer then glared at Ali. Ali wondered about that.

Emily then typed into her phone, _"Ali, deaf people don't really go to movie theaters because most theaters aren't accessible with closed captioning."_

Ali read what Emily wrote and got embarrassed.

She said, "Sorry" to the teens.

Just then Toby arrived with a tray full of drinks and he handed out the drinks.

The teens thanked him for making their orders. Ali was feeling a bit uncomfortable being around more deaf teens, but she was glad that Toby was around to help translate.

Toby in a speaking voice and signing asked the deaf teens how their school year was starting out. All of them replied that things were going ok. Caleb asked Toby for advice on woodwork projects.

Emily again started typing into her phone as a way to communicate with Ali. She typed a message asking if Ali would be attending Wilson High's fall homecoming.

Ali faced Emily and said, "I don't think so. I'm new to the school and I don't know who I would ask out or who would ask me out"

Emily typed out,_ "I'm sure plenty of boys would ask you out."_

Ali read that message and got nervous. She had been for two years to her parents and friends back in Rosewood. She knew that not all people would be accepting of gay people. She stared at Emily's phone a bit. Toby noticed her nervousness.

Toby asked Ali, "Are you ok?"

Ali faced Toby and said, "Emily was asking me about the homecoming dance at my school. I told her that I probably wouldn't be going. She then said on her note app that boys would probably want to ask me out."

Toby smiled and said, "Well you are a pretty girl."

Ali then said to Toby, "I'm a lesbian. I get nervous telling new people about that."

The deaf teens observed Toby and Ali talking to each other. Since Ali and Toby were facing each other, the deaf teens had trouble reading their lips.

Toby asked Ali, "Do you want me to tell Emily that you are gay?"

Ali just nodded.

Toby then signed to Emily, _"Ali is a lesbian and that is part of the reason she is unsure about the dance at her school."_

Emily then felt an instant connection with Ali. The other deaf teens noticed that Toby signed about Ali being gay. Spencer was happy because she knew Ali wasn't after Toby.

Emily then signed to Toby to tell Ali that she was also a lesbian. The hearing boy was a bit surprised to find out that Emily was also a lesbian.

Toby then looked at Ali and said, "Emily just signed that she is also lesbian. I didn't know that until now."

Ali smiled towards Emily and said, "It looks like we have something big in common."

Ali then said, "Toby ask Emily if she wants to go out with me this weekend. Tell her that we can meet here for coffee."

Toby then signed that to Emily who signed yes.

* * *

It was early Saturday morning, Ali was entered coffee shop and made orders for both her and Emily. She watched as Emily entered smiling. She took her seat at the table. Ali told Emily to put her phone on Wi-Fi and they would communicate through an instant messaging app on their phones.

Ali typed into the app, _"I promise you Emily, I will start signing with you more. I know we need to also communicate through sign language."_

Emily signed,_ "Don't worry. It takes awhile for hearing people to learn sign. It look my parents a few years to get the full swing of it. My mom still signs better than my dad."_

Ali in message form asked_ "Do you miss your parents? Have you told them about our date?"_

Emily's reply was, _"I miss my parents. I have told my parents about you, but I told them that you are my friend, which is true. But my parents don't know that I'm a lesbian. I'm scared to tell them. I remember when I was a little kid, my mom said that she didn't approve of gay people and their lifestyle."_

Ali was saddened at the revelation about Emily's parents. She briefly thought back to when she came out to her parents. She thought they would be angry, but they weren't. Kenneth and Jessica were shocked and worried at first, but they assured their daughter they would always love her.

The blonde then typed into the messaging app, _"Emily, you will have to eventually tell your parents about your sexuality. I know it is scary, but it is better to be open with loved ones."_

Emily responded with the following message,_ "I know I will have to tell them someday. My mom keeps encouraging me to go out with boys and I don't want to have a fake relationship with a boy. But I don't want to disappoint my parents. They have already had it hard because of my deafness."_

Ali didn't know how to exactly respond to that. She then decided to ask Emily about other things.

The girls discussed sports, TV shows, and books. Eventually Ali invited Emily over to her house and Emily accepted the invitation. But deep down, Emily was worried about being around Ali's parents.


	3. Chapter 3

Someone Different Chapter 3

Three days passed since Emily and Ali's coffee date. Today was the day, Emily would visit Ali her at home. She told her parents about Emily. Her mother Jessica was happy that her daughter made a new friend in the city that was also a lesbian. But the mother became worried when Alison said that Emily was deaf.

Spencer was driving Emily to the DiLaurentis home. The year before, Spencer's parents bought her a car. Spencer's father Peter and her mother Veronica gave her the car partially out of guilt. When Spencer was 2, she got meningitis which caused her deafness. Peter and Veronica since then always had trouble coping with their daughter's disability and they rarely visited her at school. To make up for that, they were constantly sending her gifts.

Emily was very nervous. Spencer pulled up to the curb and signed to Emily, _"Good luck with Ali and her parents." _

Emily replied, _"Thank you. Also thank you Spencer for giving me a ride." _

"_No problem" _was Spencer's reply.

Emily nervously walked up the front door. She pressed the doorbell and hoped that Ali would answer.

But instead Ali's father Kenneth answered.

The man smiled at Emily and said, "Please come in." He also motioned for her enter the house.

Inside Kenneth called out for Ali.

The blonde came to where Emily was and signed, _"Hi Emily, I'm glad you came. This is my dad Kenneth" _

Emily signed and mouthed, "I'm glad I came."

Ali was surprised to see Emily mouthing words. She was still very curious about Emily's voice.

Ali then took Emily by the hand and led her into the kitchen where she had been helping Jessica prepare dinner. Ali in sign language introduced Emily to her mother. Jessica faced Emily and said, "Hello, nice to meet you you are pretty girl." Emily was able to read her lips. Emily then signed, "Thank you."

Ali said to her mother, "She signed thank you."

The blonde had been learning the signs for the most commonly used words.

Ali then got back to helping her mother with dinner. Emily pulled out her phone and typed into the note app, "_Do you and your mom need help?" _

The blonde smiled and then pointed a cheese block and then pulled out a grater. Emily nodded and started grating the cheese. Ali was cutting vegetables for a salad.

An hour later, the teen girls and Ali's parents were sitting down and eating.

Ali sat next to Emily and in a way served as translator between Emily and her parents. She signed some basic things to Emily and Emily signed back and that allowed Ali to better learn sign language.

Kenneth said, "Ali, ask Emily if her parents will be visiting her this school year?"

Using the phone app, Ali asked the question and Emily replied that they would be coming to visit in a few months. Ali read out Emily's reply to her parents.

Jessica said, "Poor girl, she must miss her parents."

Emily read that on Jessica's lips. She indeed missed her parents.

Ali then faced her mother and said, "Emily does miss her parents. But her parents don't know that she is gay."

Jessica said, "Oh. Maybe I could talk to them for her."

Ali said, "I don't know if that would work Mom."

Ali decided to change the subject to other things. Emily through the phone app told Ali, Kenneth, and Jessica about her school and hobbies.

Kenneth faced Emily and asked, "Were you born deaf?"

Emily nodded.

Ali then asked, "When did you learn sign language?"

Emily typed into the phone, _"My parents said they started teaching me with baby signs when I was 1 and then when I was 4 they started teaching me American Sign Language."_

Ali read Emily's reply in front of her parents.

Awhile later, after Ali and Emily helped with the dishes. The blonde led Emily up to her room. Emily looked around the room. She liked how Ali had it decorated. She noticed a TV and a stack of DVDs.

Ali pointed to the DVDs and said, "Do you want to watch one?"

Emily nodded and then Ali told her to pick out one to watch. The brunette looked through the stack and found one that she had never watched before. She picked out "Pitch Perfect".

Ali got a bit nervous because she knew the movie was about singing and music and she didn't think Emily would be able to enjoy it.

She then said, "About something else?"

Emily then found "Clueless" and the girls then watched the movie with closed captioning. During the movie, Ali wondered how it would be to watch something with no sound.

After the movie ended, Ali asked Emily if she wanted to go out again sometime. Emily nodded yes and Ali then tried to think of a date idea. She then asked the brunette about going out for dinner the following Saturday and Emily agreed to it.

Emily then wrote out, _"Ali did your parents accept that you were gay right away?" _

Ali nodded yes.

The deaf teen then wrote, _"I wish my parents were the same." _

Ali then said, "I know you said that your mom said that she didn't' approve of homosexuality. But has your dad ever said anything?"

Emily shook her head no and then started to think about her dad.

After Emily left, Jessica entered Ali's room.

The mother said, "I like Emily, she is a sweet girl."

Ali said, "She is. We are going out on Saturday. I hope you're ok with it."

Jessica replied, "I'm ok with it. But I do worry sweetie."

The blonde figured out why immediately and said, "Is it because she is deaf?"

The mother nodded and then said, "Just be careful with everything and take things slow. I want you to be happy, but as a mother, I always worry. If you need help with things, tell me Ali."

The mother then hugged her daughter.

* * *

The next day, Emily was in her dorm room getting ready for a video chat with her father. Earlier she sent him a text to see if he could video chat with her by himself. Her father replied that he could since Emily's mom would be working late.

Emily noticed that her dad had logged in. She then waited for him to appear onscreen. Wayne signed, _"Hello, how are you?" _

The daughter replied, _"I'm doing ok. I have to tell you something Dad, but please don't tell Mom." _

Wayne signed, _"Are you in some kind of trouble?" _

Emily shook her head no.

The father then signed, _"You don't have to be scared of your mother and I. We are always here for you."_

Emily started to cry. After a few minutes she signed into the laptop camera, _"I'm gay"._

She watched as a look of shock formed over her father's face.

Wayne signed, _"Are you sure, you could be just going through a phase?" _

"_I'm sure Dad. I'm sorry. I'm kind of going out with a girl." _Emily signed.

Wayne signed, _"I'll keep this between us for awhile." _

Emily signed,_ "Thank you."_

Later on, Emily texted Ali about her video chat with her father. Ali was bit relieved to find out that Emily's father didn't flip out. She then texted Emily to see if they could meet at Starbucks. A few hours later they did. After finishing their drinks. They walked to a nearby park that was empty.

They sat on a bench and Ali said to Emily, "You are brave for telling your father."

Emily understood what she said and she then kissed Ali.

Ali was surprised by the kiss and she kissed the brunette back.


	4. Chapter 4

Someone Different Chapter 4

The day came for Emily and Ali's second date. The day before Ali's parents bought her car. They figured that it would be the best thing since Ali was a junior in high school. She drove to the deaf school campus and met with Emily in the courtyard.

Ali signed, _"I got a car yesterday." _She hoped she signed the right way.

Emily smiled and signed back, _"Cool."_

Ali knew the sign.

The two drove to an Italian restaurant. They were seated by the hostess. Emily was a bit nervous in restaurants. Sometimes if she was with hearing people, she would have them order for her. She was relieved when Ali offered to order for her. Emily decided to have the chicken alfredo dish with iced tea. Ali decided to order the same thing too.

Emily again pulled out her phone and typed a long message into the note app.

"_Yesterday, my dad texted me and told me to set up a meeting with my school's guidance counselor and psychologist Dr. Sullivan. He said that I need to talk her about being a lesbian." _The note read.

Ali read it silently and began to worry if Emily's father was thinking that the psychologist could change Emily. She typed a response into Emily's phone.

"_Is Dr. Sullivan nice?" _

Emily replied, _"I have known her since I was 6. She is hearing, but she connects with the deaf community because both of her parents were deaf. She is nice to me and my parents. She helped my parents deal with raising a deaf child. I don't know if she has any issues with gay people." _

Ali typed, _"When do you meet with her?"_

"_Monday" _was Emily's response

Awhile later, the food arrived and the girls ate. After dinner, they drove over to Ali's house. Her parents were out.

Ali offered Emily coffee which the brunette accepted.

As Ali was waiting for the coffee maker to get started. Emily hugged her from behind and kissed her neck. The blonde did begin to wonder if Emily had ever had sex before. She felt like asking, but didn't. She was still following her mom's previous advice about taking things slow with Emily. The two girls sat down and had their coffee.

Ali brought out the ASL flash cards that Toby had given her and showed them to Emily. Emily again used the phone app to communicate. Ali then decided to ask her something.

She faced the brunette and said, "Emily, why don't you speak? I know your voice probably sounds different, but it wouldn't matter to me."

Emily got nervous and typed, _"I used to talk more when I was younger. My parents put me in speech therapy. But some hearing people would make fun of how I sound, so I stopped talking. Some of my deaf friends talk more. Aria's parents encourage her talk quite a bit. But it takes her awhile to start talking more in front of hearing people." _

Ali again faced Emily and said, "I know that it must be difficult. I was just wondering mostly because I thought that maybe it would be easier for us to communicate if you spoke more. But it's ok Emily, you don't have to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable."

Emily signed, _"Thank you."_

The two girls discussed other things and Emily gave Ali some tips about sign language.

* * *

Monday rolled around. Emily was nervously waiting outside Dr. Anne Sullivan's office. The brunette remembered the first time she met Dr. Sullivan. The psychologist had just started practicing and she remembered her parents bringing her to the office. She remembered Dr. Sullivan getting on the floor to play with her. She remembered all the advice, her parents received from the psychologist.

Finally Dr. Sullivan came out to the waiting area. She signed and said, "Hello Emily, please come in."

Emily followed her into the office and took a seat.

Dr. Sullivan sat across from Emily. Speaking and signing she said, 'So, Emily why did you set up this appointment?"

Emily signed, _"My father told me to set this up. The reason he asked me to see you is because I recently came out as gay to him." _

Dr Sullivan replied in sign, "I see."

Emily through sign asked, _"Are you ok with gay people?"_

The older woman smiled and signed, "Yes I am. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to seeking help. I know that being gay is difficult for people especially in our society."

Emily signed, _"I realized I was a lesbian a year ago. I was never attracted to boys. I told my closest friends several months ago. They have kept my secret. I recently started dating a girl. She it out to both of her parents and her parents are understanding. I have only told my dad that I'm gay. He seems ok. Years ago, when I was younger my mom said that she didn't approve of gay people's lifestyle. So I'm scared to tell her." _

Dr. Sullivan didn't respond immediately to Emily. She then signed to the girl, _"Emily, I understand your fears about your mom. Children always want the acceptance of their parents." _

Emily signed back, _"My parents have a hard life because of my deafness. I know that the reason they didn't have more kids is because they felt it would be difficult to have other kids, in addition to me. I know that after all these years they have accepted me being deaf. But I know that me being gay will make things more difficult." _

Dr. Sullivan responded, _"Again, Emily I understand your worries. I know with your parents, it took years for them to accept that they had a deaf child. They had a lot of emotions to work through. Your father is probably going through some emotions right now. If you want I could talk with your mother on your behalf." _

Emily got nervous and signed, _"No don't do that. Do you think that maybe you could speak with just my dad for awhile.?"_

Dr. Sullivan replied, _"I can do that." _

The psychologist then signed, _"I'm here for you all the time and I know some therapists who specialize in helping LGBT people accept themselves. I can refer you to one of them and I could go with you to help with communication." _

The deaf girl replied, _"That would be good. But maybe later. I still want to think things through on my own for awhile." _

Emily and Dr. Sullivan discussed related topics, before Emily left her office and headed to her dorm room.

As Emily entered the room, she saw three outfits spread out over Spencer's bed.

She signed to Spencer, _"What is with the clothes?"_

"_I'm going to Starbucks later on to ask out Toby. I want to look good for him." _Spencer replied.

Emily signed, _"I hope things go well for you."_

Spencer signed, _"How things with you and Ali?"_

"_They are ok. My dad knows that I'm gay and he isn't going to tell my mom for awhile. Ali wants to take things slow. I want to take things slow because this is my first relationship." _Emily replied.

* * *

A few days later, Pam Fields arrived in Philadelphia. Emily was unaware of it. Pam drove over to the deaf school. She was waiting to speak the principal. Dr. Sullivan walking by spotted her. She walked over to Pam.

Pam said, "Hello Dr. Sullivan, how are you?"

Dr. Sullivan replied, "I'm doing well Pam. I've seen Emily around campus and she is a beautiful girl. I heard that you and your husband were in Texas."

"Wayne has to spend the rest of the year there training troops. I miss Philly, so we decided that I would come back. Our house here is currently unoccupied. I figured it would be better to come back for Emily's sake. She doesn't know that I'm here. I'm going to surprise her later on." Pam said.

Dr. Sullivan began to worry about Emily. She then said, "Well, I have to go to my office Pam. It was nice seeing you."

* * *

It was after school, Emily and Alison had met up at Starbucks. They were at a table drinking their drinks and working on Ali's sign language. After being there for thirty minutes, Alison noticed a shorter woman walking up to their table.

Emily smiled as she saw the woman.

The woman said, "You must be Emily's new friend Ali. I'm her mother, Pam Fields."

Emily had read her mother lips.

Alison nervously replied, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Fields."

Emily then signed to her mother, _"Mom, what are you doing here? I thought you and dad were going to wait to come up for Thanksgiving." _

Pam signed and said, "Your father and I felt that it would be best that I come back here for your sake. We don't have any tenants in the house. I talked to the school principal and he said you could move out of the dorms in a few days."

Pam pulled her daughter into a side hug. Emily looked towards Ali. Both girls were now worried about their future especially since Emily's mom was going to be around all the time.


	5. Chapter 5

Someone Different Chapter 5

Over the next few days, Emily packed up her belongings from the dorm room. While, Pam was getting the house ready. Emily worried about many things. The day after Pam's arrival, she went to Dr. Sullivan's office. The psychologist assured Emily that she would kept things confidential . Emily expressed her increased worries about her mom being around. Dr. Sullivan gave Emily some advice about possibly coming out to her mother. But Emily still wasn't ready, and she wasn't sure if she would ever be ready.

During the time, Emily moved out of the dorms. Ali made herself busy with other things which included sign language. She found a sign language class at a community college and enrolled in it. She, like Emily had increased worries. Ali sought advice and comfort from her mother. Jessica was unsure of what to say to her daughter, but she told Ali to be careful and if problems happened with Pam, that she would seek help right away.

Once Pam and Emily were settled into their home, Emily invited Ali over for dinner. As she drove over to the Fields home, Ali worried. She didn't like having a secret relationship, but she understood why it had to remain a secret.

She rang the doorbell and Emily answered it because the doorbell was connected to the lighting system in the home which flickered the lights.

She and Ali hugged, both secretly wished that they could kiss.

Pam came out to the doorway.

"Hello, Alison, please come in."

Ali smiled and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Fields for inviting me over."

Pam said, "You're welcome."

The mother then signed and said, "Dinner won't be ready for another twenty minutes. Emily, why don't you take Alison into the living room and you two could watch TV."

The girls went into the living room. Emily turned on the TV to a movie channel. Ali noticed the closed captioning and she figured that they always had the closed captioning on. She noticed many pictures throughout the house. She walked around. She saw pictures of Emily's parents, then she saw pictures of Emily as an infant, then pictures of Emily throughout the years.

She faced Emily and said, "You were a cute…" Then the blonde signed, _"baby"._

Emily blushed a little.

Later Pam called out from the kitchen to Ali to tell Emily that dinner was ready.

The two girls went into the dining room and took their seats. Pam brought out the courses and a few minutes later, the three served.

Pam in speaking and sign asked, "What do your parents do Ali?"

"My father works as a CPA and my mother works from home as a marketing director for a retail company." Ali said.

"That is interesting." Pam said in sign and in voice.

Pam then asked, "How are you liking Philadelphia?"

"It is a bit different than Rosewood, but I'm liking it." Ali said.

"It must have been hard to leave that town. I didn't want Emily to leave the only place she has known so that is why we had her move into the dorms." Pam said.

Ali then said, "Some friends and their parents offered their homes to me, but I didn't want to be away from my parents".

What Ali didn't reveal to Pam was that part of the reason she moved with her parents was to get away from her ex Sarah and painful memories.

Pam and the girls continued eating. After dinner, Ali offered to wash the dishes which she and Emily did.

Later on, Pam came into the kitchen and signed to Emily, "Your phone was buzzing."

Emily went over and picked up her phone, it was a text from Spencer saying that she would be go over to Emily's house late because of her first date with Toby.

Emily singed to her mom, _"It was Spencer she will be over late. She is out with a boy right now"._

The mother signed back, _"Oh Spencer is dating now?" _

Emily replied, _"Yeah. It is her first date. She asked out one of the baristas from the coffee shop that is near the deaf school." _

Pam signed, _"Is he hearing?"_

Emily nodded.

Ali was watching the sign language conversation between the mother and daughter and she managed to make some of out. She knew it was about Spencer and Toby's date.

Pam then looked at Ali and in sign and voice said, _"Ali do you have a boyfriend?" _

The blonde signed and said, _"No." _

Both Ali and Emily got a bit nervous.

Pam then said, "You're a pretty girl, I bet there are boys lining up to ask you out."

Ali then nervously lied, "Right now, dating isn't my thing. I want to focus on school and getting used to a new city."

Emily then took Ali's wrist and pointed up to the stairs.

Ali said, "Do you want to take me up to your room?"

Emily nodded.

Pam signed and said, "I'll let you girls know when Spencer gets here."

The two girls went up the stairs into Emily's room and they closed the door.

Ali noticed that room was neatly organized. Emily lead her over to her laptop which was set up on a desk.

Emily opened up the word processing program and she typed, _"I'm glad that you didn't tell my mom that you are gay. I don't know how she would react. I hate that we have to keep our relationship a secret. I'm sorry Ali, that I'm putting this pressure on you." _

Ali then typed, _"It's ok Emily, I want to protect you and maybe we will find a way to get through to your mom later on." _

Emily then typed, _"Ali, have you ever had sex?" _

Ali typed, _"Yes."_

The brunette got nervous. She felt weird and inexperienced. Ali noticed her nervousness and then typed, _"You probably haven't had sex right?"_

Emily read the question and shook her head no.

The blonde typed, _"It's ok. Do you want to have sex soon?" _

Emily typed, _"No, not ready yet. Sorry."_

Ali's reply was, _"You don't have to be sorry. You aren't ready yet and don't be ashamed of that. We need to take things slow for awhile." _

Emily smiled and kissed Ali on the lips. She knew it was risk with her mom being in the house and possibly walking in. She went over to her shelf and pulled out a DVD.

The DVD was of deaf theater group's performance of "A Death of a Salesman".

She typed into the computer to tell Ali that the DVD was subtiled and that it would help Ali with her ongoing ASL studies.

The girls watched the DVD. Ali felt she was learning a bit more.

Later on, there was a knock on the door which altered Ali and she opened the door and Spencer came in.

Spencer and Emily began signing.

Emily signed, _"How was your date with Toby?"_

Spencer signed back, _"It went better than I expected it to. We are going out again next week."_

Spencer glanced over at Ali and signed, _"So your mom thinks that you and Ali are just friends." _

"_She does. I wish my mom was ok with gay people. I don't like hiding." _Emily replied.

Spencer felt bad for her friend. She wished that society was more accepting.

She signed to Emily, _"All of us will do what we can to keep your relationship with Ali a secret." _

Emily went over and hugged Spencer.

Spencer pulled out her phone and typed into the note app for several minutes. She then handed Ali the phone. The note read:

"_Ali, _

_Emily is one of my closest friends in the world. I'm glad that she has someone. I wish that you two were able to have an out relationship. I will do anything to protect you two. But, please don't hurt my friend or I will hurt you."_

Ali smiled at Spencer.

* * *

Two weeks went by, Ali and Emily continued doing what they could to keep their relationship a secret from Pam. Ali invited Emily to a art and music festival.

Emily enjoyed seeing various art works. But she noticed that Ali seemed to be into the music. She began to wish that she could experience music and the other things Ali enjoyed.

She went home later that night and found her mother in the living room working on a scrapbook.

Pam signed, _"How was the festival?"_

Emily signed, "_It was fun seeing the artwork."_

Pam then went back to working on her scrapbook for a few minutes before Emily tapped her shoulder.

Emily signed, _"Mom, do you think we could make an appointment with the doctors about a cochlear implant?" _

Pam said, _"Sure, sweetie. But in the past, you didn't seem too interested in cochlear implants and remember that years ago, the experts said a cochlear implant wouldn't cure your deafness, but it would let you hear a bit." _

The teen signed back, _"I know it won't cure me. But I want to kind of know about how things sound."_

The mother replied, _"I don't blame you for wanting that. But why do you all of sudden have a new interest in a cochlear implant?"_

Emily replied, _"I feel like I'm missing out on some things. I want to understand hearing people and their world better" _

The deaf teen was wishing that she could tell her mother that she wanted to better connect with Alison on some things.

Pam signed, _"I'll make the appointments as soon as I can." _


	6. Chapter 6

Someone Different Chapter 6

A week had past since Emily mentioned the topic of cochlear implants to her mom. Pam made an appointment with the specialists, but it was a month away. Emily decided to mention it to Alison during a visit to her home.

Alison was improving on sign language, but she was still a novice and Emily and Toby were helping her.

She and Emily were eating popcorn in Ali's living room. When Emily pulled out a pamphlet from her backpack. She signed to Ali, _"I'm thinking about having this done…."_

Ali took the pamphlet and read it for several minutes. She had recalled hearing about cochlear implants before.

She faced Emily and said, "Would it help you?"

Emily nodded yes. She then wrote in her phone app, "_It would allow me to hear a bit, I probably won't be able to hear things you like hear them completely. It might help me to read lips better. I want to experience some of the hearing world and I want to be able to connect with you better. I notice you like music and certain things that are very dependent on sound." _

Ali felt a sense of guilt after reading that message. She felt bad that Emily wasn't like her completely.

She faced Emily and took the brunette's hands and said, "I love you no matter what. I know we haven't be been dating long, but I feel like I would want to be with you for a long time. I know you must feel weird when I'm listening to music or going to certain events. But I also wonder what your life is like and how you get by without hearing. I still wonder what your voice sounds like."

A tear streamed down Emily's face.

The blonde put her thumb on Emily's face and wiped away the tear.

"Hey I didn't mean to make you cry." Ali said.

A few minutes later, Emily looked right at Ali and spoke the words, "I love you."

Ali was shocked that Emily spoke out loud. She had previously known that Emily wouldn't sound like hearing people. She thought Emily talked as if she had a lisp and it sounded like Emily didn't fully pronounce the "l" in love. When it came down to it, Ali didn't care that Emily sounded different.

Emily typed in the phone app, "_My voice must sound awful." _

Ali put her hands on Emily's cheeks and said, "It doesn't sound awful."

Emily then leaned in and kissed Ali.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Emily began speaking more. At times, Ali couldn't understand her and Emily had to repeat things or use other ways to communicate. Emily also enrolled in a speech therapy program at her school. She was also making some visits to Dr. Sullivan.

She was in Dr. Sullivan's office when she was handed a book titled, _"Coming Out for Gay/Lesbian Teens"_

Dr. Sullivan signed, _"I know I have given you similar materials before, but a few of my colleagues really recommend this." _

Emily signed and said, "Thank you."

The psychologist signed and said, "I'm surprised you are speaking again. Did you someone bring you out of your shell?"

Emily signed and said "My girlfriend Ali."

* * *

Later that night, Emily went home and started to work on homework. She pulled out her school books and the book Dr. Sulllivan had given her. Halfway through completing a math problem, Emily realized she left her scientific calculator down stairs. She went down to get it.

Pam was gathering laundry from around the house, she entered Emily's room and gathered some things from her daughter's hamper. She then noticed a book on Emily's bed.

A few minutes later, Emily entered the room. She got scared immediately as she saw Pam holding the coming out book.

Pam put the book and signed, _"Why do you have this, Emily?" _

Emily was unsure of how to respond to her mother.

Pam then put her hands on Emily's shoulders, "_Are you confused about things?" _

The daughter then signed, _"I'm gay." _

Pam then said to herself, "No no, you can't be."

She then ran out of the room.

An hour later she was on the phone with Wayne.

"You knew about it and didn't tell me?" Pam said with angry tone into the phone.

On the other end, Wayne said, "Emily was scared when she told me. I didn't know how to respond and I don't want to be angry with her. I love her and she is a good girl. I told her to see Dr. Sullivan at school."

Pam then angrily said, "You should have consulted with me. She is my daughter too."

"Pam, I'm sorry. We are going to have deal with this. This isn't the first time we have dealt with difficult things." Wayne said.

Still angry, Pam said, "Everything in our life has been difficult and full of disappointments."

Wayne said, "Don't you dare say that."

He hung up on this wife.

Pam laid down on her bed and continued sobbing. She started to remember the past. She and Wayne had married twenty-two years before. After they married, they started to try and conceive and then difficulties arose.

_20 years earlier_

_Pam and Wayne were in a hospital room. Sobbing was heard._

_Pam said, "Why did I have to miscarry my first pregnancy?" _

"_I don't know. Things will be ok. We will keep trying." Wayne said._

"_We had been trying for two years now." Pam cried._

_Pam had two miscarriages after that one._

_17 years earlier_

_Pam was now seven months pregnant. She and Wayne were at an appointment. The female obstetrician said, "Well, Pam it looks like you are having complication free pregnancy."_

_Wayne said, 'I'm so happy after we have been going through the past few years." _

_Two months later, Pam went into labor. She was in the delivery room and in pain. Wayne was doing his best to keep her calm._

"_Sweetie, you have to keep pushing and our baby will be here soon." He said._

_Grimacing through pain, the delivering mother said, "I hope so. I'm going to give this kid a hard time later on for this labor." _

_An hour later, the cries of a baby were heard in the delivery room. The Fields couple were crying tears of joy. _

_A nurse brought over the cleaned up baby girl and placed her in Pam's arms._

_Wayne put his finger on the baby's forehead and said, "Welcome to the world."_

_Pam said, "She is beautiful and our miracle." _

_Three days later, Pam and Wayne received the news that screening tests revealed that their baby was deaf." _

_Both had been devastated by the news and they went home with their newborn. Wayne was holding the crying baby, while Pam was in the bedroom avoiding caring for the baby._

_The crying continued, Wayne said to his infant daughter, "Come on, sweetie it's ok you don't need to cry. You are home with us." _

_He tried feeding her formula and nothing worked. Pam had been nursing for the past two days. He wondered if the baby wanted breast milk. He put her down in the bassinet and went into the bedroom._

"_Pam, I think you should nurse Emily. She is crying too much and I can't get her to stop." _

_Pam stayed lying on her side looking out the window. _

_Wayne said forcefully to his wife, "You have to stop this. That baby needs you. Sure, she isn't perfect, but she is ours." _

_Pam then went and nursed the baby. She started to bond more with her daughter. _

_Over the next few years, Pam and Wayne went to many appointments and met with experts about how to deal with Emily. Both tried to stay positive, but negativity crept in often. Parents in the neighborhood didn't allow their children to play with Emily. Emily was seen as difficult because she was deaf. At home, Pam went through trying times as Emily was learning sign language and sometimes threw tantrums when no one was able to understand her. She and Wayne did go through a grieving process and then were put into therapy with Dr. Sullivan to deal with the fact that their child was deaf. _

In the present time, Pam was feeling a mix of emotions. She had always found gay people to be disgusting. The thought of Emily kissing or having sex with another woman made her upset.

* * *

The next morning, Emily went down to the kitchen. She saw her mom and Pam avoided the girl, by not signing or speaking to her. Emily sent a text to Ali that read, _"My mom knows that I'm gay." _Ali texted her back to see if Pam knew that she and Emily were dating and Emily said no.

The blonde was now worried quite a bit. She went into her mom's home office.

Jessica said, "Hey sweetie, what is it?"

Ali said, "Emily's mom knows that she is gay."


	7. Chapter 7

Someone Different Chapter 7

In her mother's office, Ali told her mother about what happened with Emily, the previous night. She also explained that Pam was unaware of Emily's relationship with Ali.

Jessica responded, "Things might tougher, if Pam finds out. Often times, parents have hard time accepting that their children end up becoming something they never expeted too.

Ali said, "I know you and Dad accepted me from the beginning, but was it hard for you?"

"I won't lie it was hard. I had to get used to the fact that as a lesbian, your life wasn't going to be the same as many women." Jessica said.

"I do worry about Emily because she said that her mother said that gay people are disgusting." Ali said.

"It's hard for people to change their views and sometimes they never change. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but there is a chance that Emily's mother won't change her views." Jessica said.

Ali said, "Maybe you could talk to her."

"Ok. I'll try." Jessica said.

* * *

It was lunchtime at the deaf school, Emily told her friends earlier in the day about her coming out to her mom. She decided to go to Dr. Sullivan's office during lunch time.

She knocked on the door and Dr. Sullivan opened it and signed, _"Hello Emily, do you need something?_

The deaf girl nervously nodded and Dr. Sullivan let her in and then closed the door.

Emily signed, _"Last night my mom found the book you gave me and I ended up having to come out to her." _

Dr. Sullivan signed back, _"She didn't take it well, did she?"_

Emily shook her head no.

The therapist then signed, _"Did your mother physically harm you in any way or threaten you?" _

The girl responded no.

"_Emily, your relationship with your mother may be difficult from here on out. I can arrange for meeting with her?" _

The girl signed back, _"Can you call my dad and maybe give him advice about how to talk to my mom?" _

Dr. Sullivan agreed to call Wayne.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Ali and her mother were standing on the Fields' front door.

Ali nervously pressed the doorbell. A few moments later, Pam answered it.

"Oh hello Alison, this must be your mother." Pam said.

Ali said, "Hi."

Jessica held out her hand, and said, "Hello, I'm Jessica DiLaurentis.

"Can I help you two?" Pam said.

Jessica said, "We are here because Emily told Ali about what happened last night. I was thinking that I could help you."

Anger started to fill up in Pam as she realized that Ali was also a lesbian.

Pam said angrily, "Your daughter is one of them isn't she?"

Jessica tried to stay calm and said, "Yes, she is. I know this hard for you. I've been there and I think I can help you."

"I don't need your help. Your daughter probably corrupted my daughter." Pam said.

Ali got defensive and said, "It had nothing to do with me. Emily has known for a long time that she is a lesbian. She was born that way"

"Get out of my house and don't come back. My life was already difficult and now this just adds to it." Pam said.

Jessica and Ali sadly left the Fields home. Ali cried as Jessica drove them home.

* * *

Awhile later, Emily entered her home. Pam was sitting on the couch.

She signed to Emily, "I know about you and Alison. She showed up here with her mother and they tried to talk to me. Did that girl do anything to you? Did she touch you?"

Emily nervously signed, _"We have just kissed. I love her." _

Pam said, "You are just a teenager and you don't know what love is. You aren't allowed to be around that girl."

Emily then spoke and signed, "I want to be happy. I'm sorry that I've never been perfect. Maybe I should have never been born like the babies before me. I don't want to be here. I'm going back to the dorms."

* * *

Over the next few days, Wayne, Dr. Sullivan and other school administrators made arrangements for Emily to move back into the dorms with Spencer. Dr. Sullivan tried to help Pam, but the mother refused.

Emily and Spencer were in the dorm room. Spencer was helping Emily unpack.

Emily signed, "_I'm sorry that you didn't get to live in the dorm by yourself that long." _

"_It's ok. I was kind of lonely without you. It's better that you are living here, instead of with your mom." _Spencer signed.

Emily signed, _"I know and my dad said the same thing. At least Ali can visit me here." _

Later on, Emily went over to Ali's house.

Jessica went up to her and said, "Emily, I'm sorry about what happened with your mother. I want you to know that I support you and Ali's relationship. I'm here for you, if you need anything."

The older woman then hugged Emily.

Emily then signed and spoke, "Thank you. I had a video chat with my dad earlier today and he is coming in a couple of weeks to see me and he wants to meet Ali, you, and your husband.

Jessica said, "I would love to meet him."

Ali and Emily then went up to Ali's room.

They laid down on the bed. Ali held Emily in her arms.

* * *

Two weeks went by and then Wayne arrived in Philadelphia. He decided to meet with Emily and Dr. Sullivan at the school first. Emily was in the therapist's office, when Wayne came in. She rushed over to her father and he took her into his arms and held her. He assured her right away that he loved you and was still struggling to understand her sexuality and other things.

Wayne faced Dr. Sullivan and said, "I tried to get Pam to come with me, earlier but she is still refusing. She is so damn stubborn."

"I think it would be best to let Pam be for the time being. Trying to force her might make things worse." Dr. Sullivan said.

"I hope she comes around. I don't like that my family is apart like this. I'm still having difficult accepting Emily, but I want her in my life." Wayne said.

The therapist nodded and said, "I can help with the acceptance part and I can also refer you to other therapist who specialize in LGBT issues."

Wayne and Dr. Sullivan spent some time discussing various things.

That night, Wayne and Emily went over to the DiLaurentis home. Ali answered the door.

In a friendly voice, Wayne said, "You must be Ali. It's so nice to meet you."

Ali said, "It's a pleasure, Mr. Fields."

"Please call me Wayne."

Just then Kenneth and Jessica stepped in. The couple introduced themselves to Wayne.

Jessica said, "Please come into our living room, I have some coffee and muffins."

The group went into the living room. Ali and Emily sat next to each other.

Kenneth said, "I understand that you are in the Pennsylvania National Guard, so when you will be be back up here for good."

Wayne signed and said, "I will moving back next Spring. It might be sooner, if Emily decides to have cochlear implant surgery."

Emily then remembered that her appointment was scheduled for the next day.

* * *

The next day, Wayne took Emily to her appointment. The audiologists and other experts examined Emily and looked over her records.

The main specialist said and signed, "Emily is a good candidate for surgery. An implant would help her quite a bit. As you both know, it won't cure her deafness, but it will give her increased sound awareness and she will be better able to understand things around her."

Wayne said and signed, "When can the surgery be scheduled?"

"Luckily, the surgeons aren't too busy over the next several months. We do have an opening in December around the time schools go on Christmas break." The specialist said.

Wayne turned to Emily and signed, "_Emily, would you like your surgery scheduled for that time? I'll be able to take time off and I can take care of your during your recovery." _

Emily signed and said, _"Yes." _

* * *

A few days later, Emily went over to Ali's. In her voice and with signing, Emily told Ali about the plans for the upcoming cochlear surgery. Ali was excited for Emily.

Emily then signed and said, _" _I want to make love._" _

Ali signed back and said, "Are you sure?"

Emily began taking off her clothes in response.

Ali put her hands on Emily's cheeks, "I know that you nervous about this, but just stay calm ok."

Minutes later, Ali's clothes were off. Emily was lying on the bed. Ali got on top of her and began kissing her on the mouth and she started kissing other parts of Emily's body. Awhile later, she stuck two fingers inside of Emily. Emily felt uncomfortable feeling that at first and she moaned a few minutes later. Later, the blonde pleasured the brunette with her mouth.

Later, Ali held Emily in her arms. The brunette started to cry.

* * *

The next few months went by quickly. Emily tried to reach out to her mother, but Pam kept refusing. Emily's cochlear implant surgery was scheduled the week before Christmas. Wayne came back into town. He rented a hotel room, where Emily would recover.

The day of the surgery arrived, Wayne and Ali went with Emily to the hospital. Emily was nervous. Ali was with her before she was about to be taken into the operating room.

Ali said and partially signed, "Don't worry so much. It will be over before you know it. I'll be here with you along the way. I promised your dad I would help take care of you."

Emily signed and said, "I love you so much Ali. Thank you for helping my Dad out."

Ali kissed Emily's forehead and said, "It's no problem."

Just then the OR team came into the room. Luckily, one of the nurses knew sign language and signed, " Emily, it's time to take you into the operating room."

Wayne also came in and kissed his daughter and wished her well. Ali kissed Emily before she was wheeled away.

Wayne and Ali went into one of the waiting rooms. Both were nervous. To keep herself occupied, Ali started playing games on her phone.

In the operating room, Emily was nervous as she was lying on the table, being further prepped. Nurses placed EKG monitors on her chest and blood pressure monitor one of her arms. The anesthesiologist injected her several medications and she started to feel loopy. Then everything went black.

* * *

Later on, Emily started to wake up slowly. She felt pain in her head and one of her ears. She felt the itchy bandages that were wrapped around her head and on the implant ear. Her throat also felt dry. Her eyes kept fluttering open and when she finally fully opened them she saw her mother in front of her.

Pam had tears in her eyes and she signed and spoke, "I'm here Emily."


	8. Chapter 8

Someone Different Chapter 8

Emily still in a somewhat groggy state said, "Why did you come here?" to Pam.

Pam wiped her tears and then signed, _"Your father told about the implant surgery a few weeks ago. I wanted to make sure that you're ok. I don't like my seeing my child in pain. Are you feeling ok?" _

Emily said, "I feel ok. My throat hurts."

Pam then filled a cup with water and put a straw in it and put it to her daughter's lips to sip.

A few minutes later, the door opened to the room and Wayne said, "What you are you doing here Pam?"

Pam turned to see Wayne and Ali. Ali got nervous being in the same room as Pam.

"I came here to see Emily. I wanted to make sure she made it out of surgery ok. I should've called you Wayne, I'm sorry." Pam said.

Wayne said, "It's ok with me that you're here Pam. She is your daughter too. "

Wayne then walked over to Emily's bedside and Ali followed behind. The blonde avoided looking at Pam.

The father put his hand on Emily's cheek as a way of comforting her. He then signed and said, "How are you feeling Emily? The surgeons said everything went well.

Emily then clumsily signed,_ "I'm in some pain." _

Ali understood her sign and took her hand, "It will be ok Em."

Emily despite not feeling well, smiled at the sight of Ali. She loved that Ali was holding her hand.

Pam noticed how Emily seemed to be immediately happy with Ali being around. But the mother was still bothered a bit by Emily and Ali's relationship.

She then said, "Wayne can we talk outside?"

"Sure."

Wayne and Pam then went out in the hallway.

Wayne said, "I'm glad that you came Pam."

Pam said, "I should have been here since this morning. Emily must have been so scared."

"She was. Ali helped her a bit with her nervousness." Wayne said.

"Wayne, I'm still not comfortable with all of this and that girl." Pam said.

"I'm still learning to accept everything. Ali is a nice young woman, I wish you would give her a chance." Wayne said.

Back in the recovery room, Ali was still holding Emily's hand. The brunette was pale. Ali almost felt like crying at the way Emily looked. The bandages were tight on Emily's head and she noticed a bump underneath the bandages on Emily's right ear, where the implant was put in. But she didn't want to cry in front of the brunette.

Ali looked at Emily signed and said, "Are you mad that your mom came?"

Emily slightly shook her no. The girl felt some comfort due to her mother's presence. She remembered how her mother was there for in the past. She remembered the sign languages classes, the sessions with Dr. Sullivan, and other events that her mother was present at. But Emily was still upset about her mother's homophobic attitude.

Back in the hallway, Wayne and Pam were still talking.

Pam said, "I want to take Emily home. It would be better for her to recover there. I've taken care of her in the past when she has been sick."

"I know you have Pam. But she is going to need her friends and Ali too. I know you still aren't completely ok with Ali. I think it is best that we stick to the hotel plan." Wayne said.

"I want to see her there." Pam said.

"You're welcome there." Wayne responded.

A few moments later Pam and Wayne entered the room. Ali decided to let the family have some time alone. She went out in the hallway and texted friends that Emily was out of surgery.

Wayne signed, _"Emily in a few hours, Ali and I are going to take you to the hotel. Your mother wants to visit you there over the next several days. Will that be ok with you?" _

Emily looked at her mother and nodded yes at her father.

* * *

Several hours later, Wayne and Ali helped Emily into the hotel room. They helped her lay on the bed. Wayne had rented two connecting rooms. Ali would be staying nights with Emily in one room, while Wayne would sleep in the other room.

Wayne gave Emily the prescribed pain meds. Ali warmed up soup in the room's microwave. She then got Emily to eat some of it.

Ali then showed Emily some text messages from Spencer and Hanna.

The blonde said, "Spencer, Aria, and Hanna will be here tomorrow."

Emily smiled when she read those words on Ali's lips.

Eventually, the pain and sleep meds put Emily out for the night. Wayne and Ali got her into a good sleeping position. They made sure she was kept warm.

Wayne said, "I'm going to bed. If you need anything just knock on the door Ali."

Ali said, "I will."

Wayne went into the connecting room. Ali then changed her into her sleep clothes. She laid in the bed next to Emily's, she watched Emily sleeping. Due to her worrying nature, Ali didn't sleep much that night. She kept waking up to check on Emily.

The next morning, Emily awoke with some pain. She called out for Ali who woke up.

"Hey Em, how are you feeling?" Ali said as went to Emily's bed.

Emily signed and said, "I'm feeling ok. I have some pain."

Ali said, "I'll get your dad to give your meds ok."

Wayne came in the room several minutes later and gave Emily her meds.

He left later on when Ali took Emily into the bathroom to help her clean up. Due to the bandages on her head, Emily couldn't shower. So Ali helped into her the tub and helped her bathe her body. She helped the brunette out of the tub and then dressed her in a button down shirt and jeans.

Emily hated how she looked in the mirror. The bandages were a bit bulky and tight. She turned to Ali and said, "I kind of look like a Q-tip."

Ali laughed at that. Emily liked seeing Ali's smile.

It was around noon, when Spencer and Hanna arrived at the hotel room. Hanna carried in mylar balloons that had the caption "Get Well Soon" on them. Spencer carried in a bouquet of flowers and a stack of DVDs.

The two friends hugged Emily. She thanked them for the gifts.

Emily was happy to see them, but she noticed Aria was absent.

She signed to Spencer and Hanna, _"Where is Aria?"_

Spencer and Hanna looked at each other nervously.

Hanna then signed, _"Aria told us that she doesn't feel comfortable seeing you since you got the cochlear implant." _

Emily then realized why Aria didn't want to see her. Years earlier, Spencer, Aria, and Hanna underwent evaluations to see if they were good candidates for cochlear implants. Spencer and Hanna were considered good candidates. Hanna decided not to get a cochlear implant because she felt comfortable with her deafness and partially because cochlear implants were controversial with her mother and others in the deaf community. Spencer's parents felt that cochlear implants were a waste because Spencer wouldn't be completely cured. Spencer eventually became comfortable with not having a cochlear implant. Aria due to birth deformities in her ears was unable to qualify as a candidate for cochlear implants.

Emily felt bad for Aria because she would never get the chance at hearing some sounds or understanding sound. She knew that Aria was probably feeling envious. She didn't blame Aria for feeling that way. But she wished Aria was around.

Hanna sensed Emily's sadness regarding Aria and signed, _"I'm sure Aria will come around later." _

Ali decided to let Emily have some time with her friends. She went into the connecting room and saw that Wayne was reading a book.

She asked him, "Do you want to go for some coffee at the diner across the street?"

"Sure." He then got up and put on his coat.

* * *

Back in the other room, Emily told her friends about her mother visited her in the hospital the day before.

Spencer signed, _"Were you ok seeing her?" _

Emily signed, _"I was ok seeing her. I know she still cares about me. I wish she would accept me and Ali." _

Hanna signed, _"Maybe in time she will learn to accept you." _

Emily signed, _"She is coming to see me later today. My dad told me earlier that when she comes Ali will probably have to leave the room." _

The friends then caught Emily up on things that were going on in their own lives. Spencer told her about how Toby gave her an early Christmas present, which was a wooden hope chest that he made. Hanna then told Emily about how she and Caleb were going to New Jersey to spend the holidays with her mom and stepdad Ted. The two friends also told Emily about how Aria was hanging out with her hearing friend Holden and his friend Jake.

Emily thinking about the holidays signed to her friends, _"Can you two pick up a Christmas present for me to give to Ali? I did my shopping last week, but I couldn't find a present for Ali. I don't want to go out shopping like this."_

Spencer signed, _"Do you have your laptop with you?" _

Emily then pointed to her backpack which was on a three then looked through various shopping sites and eventually Emily ordered a charm bracelet that had letter charms that spelled Ali.

At the diner, Wayne was finishing up his second cup of coffee and the waitress brought over slices of pie for him and Ali.

He looked at Ali and said, "I want to thank you Alison for the help you have been giving me."

Ali responded, "You don't need to keep thanking me. I love Emily and I don't mind doing all of this."

"Well, I feel that I need to keep apologizing for how my wife has been towards you. I wish she would see how good you are for Emily." Wayne said.

"You don't need to apologize for your wife. She has her views and you have yours. I admit that I'm still upset by what she did in the past and how she treated my mother. But I still respect her because she is Emily's mother and I think it is good that she went to the hospital yesterday and is going to be visiting Emily during the recovery. I know she loves her daughter. She is just having hard time, coming to terms with the situation of Emily's sexual orientation. " Ali said.

* * *

Two hours later, Spencer and Hanna left the hotel room. They promised to visit the next day. Emily was in some pain. Wayne and Ali played a couple of board games with her. Wayne's phone buzzed and it was a text from Pam saying that she was on her way to see visit Emily. He told Ali about the text. Ali said she was going to her house for awhile to pick up some things and see her own parents.

About thirty minutes later, Pam entered the hotel room. She had a bouquet of flowers in a vase in one arm and she had a gift bag in her other arm.

"Sweetie, let me take the vase." Wayne said as he approached her.

Emily smiled at her mother. She signed, _"The flowers are pretty."_

Pam signed, _"Are you feeling better today?" _

"_A little bit better." _Was Emily's response.

Pam then placed the gift bag on Emily's lap.

She said and signed, "I picked you up some things."

Emily signed back, _"You didn't need to get me anything."_

"_You are recovering from surgery and I want you to feel comfortable and not bored." _Pam said.

Emily pulled things out of the gift bag. There was some crossword books, magazines, some bottles of Gatorade, and then Emily pulled out a small teddy bear. The teddy bear wasn't a new gift. It was a teddy bear that Emily had since childhood. The bear's name was Mr. Blue because of the color.

Emily signed, _"You brought Mr Blue." _

Pam smiled, _"I thought you would want something from home, while you are here." _

"_Thank you. I'm happy Mom that you are visiting me." _Emily said.

"_I want you to come home for Christmas." _Pam said.

Emily then signed, _"If I go home for Christmas, will you let Ali come over?" _

Pam got nervous and signed, _"I don't know Emily." _

Due to the pain from her surgery and being tired of her mom's homophobic attitude, Emily decided to change the subject and discuss other things with her mother.

Later on, Wayne came back into the room. He asked Emily how she was feeling and he gave her some meds.

He then discussed some medical things with Pam. The cochlear implant was going to be turned on six weeks later. Pam wanted to be there when it happened, but Wayne knowing that there was tension still going on, decided to wait to give Pam a definite answer.

Before Pam left, she sat on the edge of Emily's bed and signed, _"I love you Emily I do. It's just hard for me to accept certain things. But I still want to see you over the next several days and at Christmas. I want to make sure that you recover well." _

Emily signed in response, _"I know that you love me Mom. But I will admit that I'm hurt that you can't accept me and Ali." _

* * *

A few hours later, Ali came back to the hotel room.

Emily asked, _"How are your parents doing?" _

Ali faced her and said, "They are doing well and they wish you well. My mom wants to come see you tomorrow. Will that be ok with you?"

The brunette nodded yes in response.

Later on, Emily was asleep. Ali was next to her and reading a book. The blonde heard her phone buzz. She picked up from the night stand and saw that it was a text from her ex-girlfriend Sarah. Past memories and pain started to build up in Ali. The text read, "Hey Ali, it has been awhile. I'm still sorry for what I did. I was wondering if we could talk sometime soon."

* * *

**Author's note: I want to thank everyone who has added this to their follow list and I also want to thank those who have posted reviews. I'm enjoying writing this story. The next chapter probably won't be up for a few days. I'm working on other stories which I haven't updated in awhile. Again, thank you to everyone who is following and is enjoying this story.**


	9. Chapter 9

Someone Different Chapter 9

Ali stayed staring at the screen of her phone for a few minutes. She looked to Emily who asleep next to her. She was happy with Emily and had thought about Sarah in awhile. She started to think about Sarah. Sarah was a redhead with green eyes and slightly taller than Ali. They started dating at the beginning of their sophomore year. Ali did feel happy with her and Sarah was charming. Then there was the day their relationship ended.

_It was a typical day for Ali at Rosewood High except Sarah was absent. All day she had looked for her girlfriend Sarah around school. She asked friends about Sarah or if they had heard from her. She would send Sarah texts, but she would receive no replies. She began to worry that something had happened to Sarah. After school, she drove over to Sarah's house and saw a strange car in the driveway. She watched for awhile from a distance and then she saw Sarah and a young woman slightly older walking out of the house. They kissed. Anger built immediately in Ali. She waited until the other woman drove away._

_She banged on the front door and Sarah answered, "Hey Ali, I was sick." _

_Ali said, "You weren't sick. I just saw you kissing another girl. What is going on Sarah?" _

_Sarah started acting nervous, "It was nothing, she came onto me." _

"_I don't believe you. You slept with her didn't you." The blonde screamed._

"_Let me explain." Sarah said._

_Ali said, "No. I'm not going to hear your fucking excuses. We are done." _

_Ali later found out from others that the girl Sarah was with, was a college student from Hollis a local university in Rosewood. Ali never talked to Sarah after that day. She was a bit relieved when her father received word about a job transfer. She would no longer have to see Sarah at school._

In the present time, a tear streamed down Ali's face and she did wonder why Sarah cheated on her. That question had plagued her for a long time. She wondered if she should now respond to Sarah in order to get her question answered.

Ali then looked down at a sleeping Emily and decided she would wait to call Sarah. Ali had previously told Emily that she had an ex-girlfriend in Rosewood, but she didn't tell the reason for the breakup.

* * *

The next morning, Ali and Wayne took Emily to the surgeon's office so the head bandages could be removed. The two watched as the surgeon removed the bandages around Emily's right ear. Before the surgery, they were told some of Emily's air behind that ear would be shaved for the implant to be put in. Ali noticed the staples over the incision and there was some blood that the surgeon wiped away with alcohol pads. He handed Emily some antibiotic ear drops and some creams to help with the healing process.

Emily felt around the area that been operated on. She felt the stubble starting to grow back in the area that had been shaved. She felt the staples and they kind of creeped her out.

Ali immediately styled Emily's hair with a comb in order to hide the incision area a little bit. Ali, Emily, and Wayne then headed to a restaurant to eat breakfast before heading back to the hotel.

Ali sat on one of the beds and checked to see if Sarah had texted her again. There wasn't another text from Sarah. But Ali read a text from her mother saying that she would be going to the hotel to visit her and Emily in the afternoon.

Ali and Emily watched some DVDs for a few hours, before Ali heard a knock on the door. Jessica came into the room.

She hugged her daughter and then went over to the bed where Emily was at. She hugged the girl and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Emily responded, "I'm starting to feel better, Ali is part of that reason."

Jessica said, "My daughter is like that. She makes things better."

Jessica, Ali, and Emily chatted for an hour. Ali still thinking about Sarah decided to tell her mom about it, but she decided not to mention it front of Emily.

At some point later, Ali pulled her mom aside and whispered, "Mom, can we down to the lobby to talk?" Jessica nodded yes in response.

Ali looked at Emily and said and signed, "I'm going down to the lobby with my mom. I'll be back in awhile.

The mother and daughter went down to the lobby. They took a seat on a bench.

Ali looked at her mom and said, "I got a text from Sarah last night."

Jessica was a bit surprised that Sarah would try contacting Ali again. The mother was angered by that. At times, she wished she could smack Sarah for breaking her daughter's heart.

She looked at her daughter and said, "What was the text about? Did you text her back?"

"She wants to know if we can talk sometime soon. I didn't text her back. I have to admit that I do want to talk to her just to ask her why she cheated on me." Ali said.

"I understand that you still want that answer sweetie. But do you want to revisit painful memories?" Jessica said.

"I don't. But I have to know why." Ali said.

"I guess I don't blame you for wondering. But if you decide to contact Sarah, just be careful with how you approach her and don't be too forgiving. " Jessica said.

The mother then took her daughter into her arms.

Ali said, "I'm going to wait awhile to contact Sarah. My main focus right now is Emily."

"Emily is good for you. I was a bit hesitant in the beginning because she is deaf. But I see now, that it doesn't matter if she is deaf. She cares for you." Jessica said.

Unbeknownst to Jessica and Ali, Pam was also in the lobby watching them from afar. Pam didn't know that they were talking about. But Pam watched as Jessica was holding her daughter and showing affection. Pam really wondered how Jessica could accept her daughter for being a lesbian.

Pam managed to get to the hotel room without being seen by Ali and Jessica. Wayne let her into Emily's room. She noticed that Emily looked better than the day before. The paleness was starting to go away from Emily's face.

She signed to her daughter, "_How are you feeling Emily?" _

Emily signed, _"The pain is starting to lessen. I got the bandages off this morning." _

Pam moved Emily's hair to see the incision site. She was happy that it seemed to be healing fine.

She signed to her daughter, "_I can take you for hair extensions to help cover up what was shaved." _

Emily signed, "_You don't have to do that." _

"_You're my daughter, I'm going to do that for you. I can make an appointment tomorrow at a salon" _Pam responded.

Emily decided to give into her mother about the hair extensions. Pam left the room a couple of hours later. Ali came back in.

The blonde said, "How did things go with your mom?"

"They went ok. My mom is taking me for hair extensions tomorrow." Emily said.

"Well that's sweet. I'm sure my mom would do the same thing." Ali said.

* * *

Christmas Eve arrived several days later. Wayne had convinced Emily to spend the holidays with him and Pam at home. Wayne managed to get Pam to agree that Emily could see Ali on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Ali arrived at the Fields home. Luckily, Emily let her in and they went upstairs. Pam kept sending Wayne to check on them.

In the kitchen, Wayne said, "We don't need to be checking on them, they are good girls.

Pam snapped back, "But we still don't know a lot about Ali."

Wayne said, "She is a nice girl who helped me a lot after Emily's surgery."

"I'm Emily's mother and I should have been the one taking care of her." Pam said.

"Pam, you and Emily haven't really been in touch these past few months. Emily still has fear of you. I wish you could meet with Ali's parents and maybe they could help you learn to accept to Emily. If you don't fully accept Emily soon, you will end up losing her for good." Wayne said.

* * *

Over the few days, Pam thought about what Wayne said. Deep down, she didn't want to lose her daughter, but at the same time she was still having trouble accepting certain things. She decided to drive over to the DiLaurentis home, while the girls were out with friends. She nervously went up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. Jessica appeared a few moments later.

Jessica still annoyed by her past interaction with Pam said, "Hello, Pam is there something I can help you with? Is Ali in any kind of trouble?"

Pam said, "The girls are fine. I want to apologize for how I treated you and your daughter a few months back. Maybe you could help me with learning to accept my daughter."

"Come in." Jessica said.

The two women went into the DiLaurentis living room. Jessica motioned for Pam to sit on one of the reclining chairs.

Jessica faced the woman and said, "I accept your apology. I forgive you for how you treated my daughter. I know that not all people are ever going to be accepting of gay people. I have members of my extended family who still make some not so nice comments about Alison. But my focus is Alison and I don't waste time wishing that she was straight. I realize that her being a lesbian isn't a bad thing. She isn't perfect, but she manages to be a good person."

Tears streamed down Pam's face as she heard those words by Jessica.

She wiped her tears and said, "When was Emily was a baby and we found out that she was deaf, I was so upset at everyone and everything. I didn't want a deaf baby. I struggled with that for several years. When Emily came out as a lesbian, it was kind of the same thing again. I know that Emily is a good person, but I still wish that she wasn't a lesbian, because her life is always going to be difficult because she is deaf. I think things will be worse for her now that she is out.

Jessica went over and hugged the woman. She didn't know how to respond to Pam. She figured that Wayne and Pam probably had difficult times in their lives due to Emily being deaf. She could see where Pam was coming from in regards to Emily's sexual orientation making things more difficult. She knew if their situations had been reversed, she would have the same fears.

Jessica finally said, "Pam, you just need to hope that Emily has the best future and you have to help her get the best future. You have to want her to be happy. Would you want Emily to be in an unhappy relationship with a man just to fit in more with society?"

Pam shook her head no.


	10. Chapter 10

Someone Different Chapter 10

After meeting with Jessica, Pam started to think of how to come to accept Emily. Since winter break was ending, Emily made arrangements to go back to the dorms. She still didn't feel completely comfortable living in the same house as her mother. School was also starting up for Alison at Wilson High.

On the first day back at Wilson, Ali was walking through the hallways when she a posted flyer with a rainbow flag on a wall. She stopped to see the flyer which announced that a new LGBTQ Pride group was now starting at the school. The first meeting was scheduled for the next day. Ali decided immediately that she would attend the meeting. She really had not made any friends at Wilson. She had become busy hanging with Emily, her friends, and Toby who was already out of high school. Ali figured that meeting other gay kids at school would be a good thing.

The next day arrived and Ali headed after school to one of the classrooms where the Pride Group was meeting. As she entered the classroom, she spotted a blonde girl and a black girl talking with a teacher who was likely the group's faculty sponsor. Slowly, about a dozen students came into the room. Eventually the teacher, a tall man with greying hair spoke.

"Welcome everyone, to the first LGBTQ Pride Group meeting here at Wilson High. I'm Mr. Jacobson, your faculty adviser. I teach calculus and trigonometry here. To answer, a question you all have. Yes, I'm gay. It is honor to lead this group and help out kids similar to me. I was first approached to be a faculty adviser by two students, Samara Cook and Shana Cruz." Mr. Jacobson said.

Ali then watched as the blonde girl and black girl she had seen earlier, stood up and went next to Mr. Jacobson.

The blonde said, "Yes I'm Samara Cook and this is my girlfriend Shana Cruz. I came out of the closet at age 14. I've dealt with bullying and ridicule from some of my relatives. Shana and I've been dating for the past two years." Samara said.

Shana said, "Hi everyone. It's good to meet some other kids. Samara and I knew about the lack of a pride group here and so we started working together to get this going and Mr. Jacobson has been a good help."

Mr. Jacobson said, "Ok, now we will be going around to introduce ourselves to the group."

Ali listened as two boys and another girl introduced themselves, their grade levels, and the orientations to the group.

When it was Ali's turn, she said, "Hi. My name is Alison DiLaurentis. You all can call me Ali. I'm a junior here and I transferred this year to Wilson because my father moved here for his job. I came out of the closet when I was 15. I'm currently dating a girl who goes to another school."

The other remaining students introduced themselves and Mr. Jacobson, Samara, and Shana discussed possible actives for the group. After the meeting ended, Ali decided to approach Samara and Shana.

She tapped Samara on the shoulder.

"Ali right?" Samara said.

"Yeah. I'm Ali. I was just wondering if maybe you, me, and Shana could go out for coffee or something." Ali asked.

Shana said, "Sure, we would love too. About we go to the Starbucks nearby."

The three girls then headed over to the coffee shop. Ali noticed that Toby was working, but there was a bit of a line. As they got up to the counter, Toby greeted Ali and she introduced him to Shana and Samara.

The three girls got their drinks and went to a table.

Samara asked, "At the meeting, you mentioned a girlfriend. Where does she go to school?"

Ali then nervously said, "She goes to the Deaf School."

"I see." was Samara's response.

Shana asked, "How long have you two been dating?"

"We started dating in August. One day I was walking home and these boys were picking on her and she was in tears. I got the boys to leave her alone and we ended up hanging out and then we started dating." Ali said.

Shana asked, "Is it hard dating someone who is deaf?"

Ali said, "It is at times. I'm still learning sign language and she is able to speak, but she is hard to understand at times."

"I think dating anyone with a disability would be difficult whether a person is gay or straight. Shana and I are an interracial lesbian couple and trust me that gets difficult at times." Samara said.

"Yeah it would be. But we do our best for each other and my girlfriend Emily recently had a cochlear implant surgery done. The implant has not been turned on yet. Emily is hoping to better connect with me. But our biggest challenge is her mother. Her mother still isn't completely accepting of gay people". Ali said.

Shana said, "I know how that it goes. It took my father awhile to accept me."

Samara then said, "You should invite Emily and we can all get together sometime soon."

"That would be nice." Ali said.

* * *

A few hours later, Ali went to Emily's dorm room to visit. She told Emily about the Pride Group meeting and how she went to get coffee with Samara and Shana. She asked Emily if she wanted to meet the girls.

Emily was a bit nervous and said, "I don't know. I always get nervous around hearing people. What if they don't like me or what if they make fun of me?"

Ali assured her, "Emily, they are nice girls and they are lesbians like us. Maybe they could help out with your mom. I know my mom is trying to help too. We can meet up with Shana and Samara tomorrow."

Emily then signed and nervously said, "Ok. I guess we can meet with them."

The next day after school, Emily and Ali went over to Starbucks. Ali spotted Shana and Samara holding hands and standing near the entrance.

Ali greeted the couple right away and through signing and speaking she introduced Emily to the couple. Emily only signed hello, which Alison translated to the other girls. Emily pulled out her phone and tapped on the note app.

Shana said, "I thought you said that she is able to speak."

Ali then asked, "Emily, are you comfortable talking with your voice to Samara and Shana?"

Emily nervously shook her head no.

Samara said, "It's ok. We are strangers to her. We need to give her time."

Ali said, "She is able to read lips pretty well. Just look at her directly when you speak to her. If she doesn't understand, she will ask me somehow to explain what you said."

The four girls then went into the coffee shop and Toby was working that shift, so Emily was able to sign her order to him. Both Samara and Shana watched her signing out of curiosity.

The went to a table.

Emily typed into the note app on her phone, "How long have you two been dating?"

Ali handed the phone to the girls.

Shana looked directly at Emily and said, "We have been dating for two years now."

Emily smiled at them and typed, "Wow. I hope Ali and I make it in the long run."

Samara said to Emily, "I'm sure you two will. You just have to have faith."

Ali looked at Emily and said, "Are you still worried about your mom? She is trying you know."

Emily nodded.

Shana told the deaf girl, "Emily, give your mom time. It took my dad awhile to fully accept me."

Emily wrote in the note app, "I hope she does. I also worry that my disability will affect my relationship with Ali."

Ali looked at Emily and said, "Emily, I've told you before that your deafness isn't a big deal for me."

The four girls then discussed other things. Toby came over during his break to help translate for Emily to Shana and Samara. Ali was able to translate a bit, but Toby was still a better interpreter.

Samara later suggested that the two couples do a double date the following weekend. But Emily would be unable to attend because of an event at the Deaf School. They scheduled the double date for another time.

* * *

Two days later, Ali was home watching TV, when her phone buzzed and she saw that it was a text from Sarah. She then texted Sarah and said that she wanted to speak over the phone. Twenty minutes later, Ali was dialing Sarah's number.

Sarah said, "Hi Ali."

Ali sensed nervousness in Sarah's voice.

Ali responded, "How are you doing Sarah? How are your parents?"

"I'm doing well and my parents are doing well. They actually miss you." Sarah said.

"They are nice people. Tell them I said hello. Sarah, the reason I'm talking to you on the phone is because I want to know why you cheated on me?"

There was silence on the phone for a few minutes.

"I don't know." Sarah said.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Ali said with a slight tone of anger.

"That girl from Hollis she came onto me at a bar. I was about to be busted for underage drinking by the cops. That girl managed to sneak me out and I felt that I owed her one." Sarah said.

"You gave her sex in exchange for what she did at the bar." Ali said.

"Yeah and I'm sorry. I really miss you Ali. I know that you are in Philadelphia, but we could make a long distance relationship work." Sarah said.

"It's too late for apologies. I'm with someone right now." Ali said.

"Oh." Sarah said.

Ali then hung up the phone and she cried for a few minutes.

* * *

The next few weeks went by and finally Emily's cochlear implant would be activated. The appointment at the audiologist's office was during school hours and Emily didn't want Ali to miss school. Her father had recently gone back to Texas and wasn't able to come for the activation. So, her mom would be the only one with her.

Emily and Pam arrived at the office, after waiting the usual fifteen minutes. They were called to the back room.

The audiologist Mark greeted the mother and daughter. He had Emily sit in a chair. A week before, Emily went into the office to be fitted for the external parts of the implant which included the microphone and processing unit which looked similar to a hearing aid and then there was the coil and magnet part which be placed near where the implant electrodes were surgically placed above Emily's ear. And there was the controller part which Emily would wear somewhere on her body.

Mark placed the processing unit behind the girl's ear and then he placed the magnet and coil slightly above the ear.

He looked at Emily and said, "In a few minutes, I'm going to activate the implant, we just need to do some mapping."

Pam signed what he said so Emily could better understand.

After doing some other tasks, Mark then said, "I'm going to turn it on, you are going to hear some beeps."

A minute later, Emily heard the beeping sounds at a low level. She was unfamiliar with the sounds and she was frightened at first. Pam placed her hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

The audiologist then said, "I'm going to turn on the speech processor part of the implant."

He then activated it and told Pam to speak to Emily that way she would hear her mother's voice first.

Pam then said, "Hey Emily"

Emily heard her mother say the words. Of course, she didn't hear them the way a non deaf person heard them, but hearing her mother's voice matched with the words she read on Pam's lips.

Emily cried. She finally had some sense of how her mother sounded. Pam hugged her daughter.

The audiologist and other therapists discussed the aural rehabilitation program for Emily. They said it would take Emily awhile to get used to the implant and they explained that the implant would only help so much, but it would definitely improve Emily's speech and her lip reading.

Pam drove Emily to the dorms. Ali was waiting with Spencer in the room.

Ali was nervous as she saw Emily come into the room.

"How did it go?" Ali asked right away.

Emily heard part of what Ali said.

She looked at Ali and said, "It went ok. I won't ever hear like other people do, but I have a sense of what my mom sounds like and I heard part of what you just said."

Ali put her hands on Emily's cheeks and said, "I love you."

Emily was able to hear that and she smiled and said, "I love you too."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Emily went to sessions at the audiologist's office and additional speech therapy sessions at school. She wanted to improve her speech a little bit in order to communicate better with Ali and hearing people. She and Ali had a double date with Samara and Shana. The other couple had started learning to sign. Emily liked both of them very much, both helped her with issues with being a lesbian. Emily also learned lessons from them because they were a lesbian couple who had additional challenges too. Emily started visiting with her mother more. Pam was a little bit friendlier when Ali was around.

At school, Emily got advice from other students who had cochlear implants done. She also saw that Aria avoided her. She had known previously that Aria felt uncomfortable about Emily having a cochlear implant, because she would never be able to have one.

Emily was studying in the school's library when she saw Aria come in. She went over to Aria.

She signed to the short brunette, "_Hi Aria."_

Aria nervously signed, "Hi" back to her.

Emily then signed, _"I know why you are avoiding me. I don't blame you for being envious. I'm sorry that you aren't a candidate for a cochlear implant."_

Aria then started to walk away.

Emily grabbed her by the hand and signed, _"Please don't do this Aria. You are one of my closest friends. I don't want to lose you."_

Aria signed back,_ "I will lose you. You have a bit of a connection to the hearing world now. I won't have that." _

"_That doesn't matter to me. You are my friend and I love you. I won't ever ditch you, Spencer, and Hanna."_ Emily said.

Aria started crying.

Emily then hugged her friend.

The two friends then went to table to further discuss their situation.

Aria signed, _"How are you and Ali doing?"_

"_We are doing well. She has helped me a lot through this process."_ Emily signed.

"_I still wish I could get an implant because I would be able to date hearing boys, in addition to deaf boys."_ Aria signed.

"_Why can't you date hearing boys? Spencer is dating Toby. If she can do it, you can do it too." _Emily said.

Aria signed back, "_I don't have the confidence that you and Spencer have to try and date hearing people. I have a crush on Holden's friend Jake. He is nice to me, even though he doesn't know sign language. I want to ask him out." _

"_Ask him out. If he says no, then it is his loss." _Emily signed to her friend.

Aria smiled, _"Maybe I will ask him out later on."_

* * *

The next weekend, Emily was sitting in the DiLaurentis family car. She was going with them to visit friends in Rosewood. Ali was happy that she would see some of her friends. She wanted them to meet Emily. Emily was nervous about meeting Ali's friends from Rosewood.

They arrived in Rosewood and checked into their hotel. Jessica and Kenneth were going to meet up with friends. Ali and Emily started to walking around town. Ali showed Emily some of the Rosewood spots and then went into the coffee shop, The Brew.

Ali ordered for them. Emily was sitting at a table, while Ali was waiting near the counter for the drinks.

Ali heard the door open and then she heard Sarah's voice say, "Ali, what are you doing here?"

She then saw Sarah walk towards her. The blonde was nervous.

Ali said, "I'm here with my parents. We came to visit some people here."

Emily then noticed Ali talking to a redhead. She then remembered how Ali said that her ex-girlfriend Sarah had red hair.

The brunette then walked over to where Ali was.

Ali got nervous as she noticed that Emily was seeing her talking to Sarah.

Sarah said, "Who is this? Is she wearing a hearing aid?"

Ali said, "This is my girlfriend Emily."


	11. Chapter 11

Someone Different Chapter 11

Ali then looked at Emily and said, "This is Sarah."

Emily looked at Sarah and waved. As usual, Emily was uncomfortable talking in front of strangers, she noticed that Sarah was staring at her cochlear implant. Since having the implant turned on and using the external parts, Emily noticed people staring at her more, whenever she wasn't signing or speaking.

Sarah held out her hand and said, "It is nice to meet you."

Ali then said to Sarah, "She is deaf and she has cochlear implant. She can probably hear you a bit on that ear.

Sarah then looked towards Ali and said, "You guys are in town for the weekend."

The blonde nodded.

Ali said, "I'm going to see some of the girls later on. My parents are visiting some of their friends right now."

"I know they miss you and I miss you too." Sarah said.

Emily was able to hear what Sarah said and jealousy arose in her. She glanced towards the counter and saw that her and Ali's drinks were ready. She pulled on Ali's arm and then motioned to Ali about the drinks.

Ali said, "Oh our drinks are ready."

The blonde then said to her ex, "Maybe I'll see you around."

Sarah nodded and walked off.

Ali and Emily went to their table and started sipping on their drinks.

The blonde looked at Emily and said, "I'm sorry about that. I was hoping that we weren't going to run into Sarah here in Rosewood."

Emily said, "It's ok. Do you miss her?"

Ali shook her head no.

* * *

The two girls finished their drinks later on and then headed to the house of Ali's friend Shannon. Shannon was a tall brunette. She and Ali hugged for a few minutes.

Ali said, "This is my girlfriend Emily.

Shannon had been told previously on the phone about Emily being deaf and having a cochlear implant.

Shannon looked directly at Emily and said, "Hello Emily, it's nice to meet you. You better be good to Ali."

Emily then signed "Nice to meet you". Which Ali translated.

Shannon said, "You can use your voice, don't be shy."

Emily glanced towards Ali and her girlfriend gave her a reassuring smile.

Shannon then lead Ali and Emily into her living room. Later on, more friends came in and the usual introductions happened. Emily did you use her voice, but she was always nervous about possibly being made fun for her voice. She was relieved when none of Ali's friends made fun of her. She was surprised that all of them accepted her.

Later the girls left and met up with Ali's parents at a restaurant in town.

Kenneth and Jessica spotted the girls right away.

Jessica said, "Hey girls, did you have fun?"

Ali nodded yes and Emily said, "I had fun, meeting Ali's friends."

"That's good." Jessica said.

Ali then asked, "How are Steve and Carol doing?"

"They are doing well. They want us to have lunch with tomorrow before we leave." Kenneth said.

The waiter then came to the table to take their orders. Emily then got up to go the bathroom.

Ali told her mother, "We ran into Sarah at The Brew."

Jessica asked, "How did it go? Was she civil?"

"She was. It was awkward having to introduce her to Emily." Ali said.

Awhile later, dinner was brought to the table. The four headed back to the hotel. Jessica and Kenneth were going to change clothes and then meet up with another couple that they were friends with.

Ali and Emily were in their hotel room watching movies and playing on Emily's laptop. Eventually, the two started kissing and then they were having sex. They stayed lying in bed for awhile. Then there was a knock at the door, which Emily was able to hear Ali quickly put on a t-shirt and sweats. She went to the door and Sarah was there.

"Sarah, this isn't a good time." Ali said.

Emily wrapped herself in a sheet and went to the doorway, she was jealous at the sight of Sarah.

Sarah saw Emily and said to Ali, "Oh, I see what you mean. Ali, I came here to talk to you and apologize again."

"You have apologized before and you don't need to again." The blonde said.

"Look, Ali I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you found someone else. You look happy." Sarah said before walking away.

Ali then walked out of the hotel room after her and said, "Thank you Sarah. I wish you well too."

Sarah said, "I'm surprised that you would say that."

"You made mistakes and I've made mistakes too. You don't need to pay for them for the rest of your life. I forgive you for what you did." Ali said.

Sarah responded with tears in her eyes and she said, "Thank you" before walking away.

Ali then walked into the hotel room.

She said to Emily, "I'm sorry, I didn't know she was going to show up here. She wanted to apologize again for the past."

Emily said, "What did you tell her outside? I wasn't able to hear."

"I told her that I forgave her. I know that maybe I shouldn't, but that was in the past. I have you now." Ali said.

Emily responded, "Will you always want me? Sarah is hearing like you. I can't even talk right."

Ali said, "I've said it before none of that matters to me. You have been loyal to me. Let's go back to bed."

* * *

The next day, Ali, Emily, and the DiLaurentis parents arrived back in Philadelphia. They dropped off Emily at the dorms. Emily earlier had gotten a text message from her mother saying that she wanted to take Emily out to dinner that night. Pam picked up Emily later on and they went out to eat.

Emily told her mother about the encounter with Ali's ex.

Pam signed to her, _"Did you feel uncomfortable?"_

"_Yes I did. Sarah is a pretty girl and she is hearing. But Ali said that she is over Sarah." _Emily signed.

Pam signed back to her, _"I'm glad that things are working out well for you and Ali. But Emily, I want you be prepared in case things don't work out later on. Sometimes you don't always end up with your first love. Your father and I both dated other people before we met." _

Emily knew that there was some truth to what her mother had said. Ali was her first girlfriend and she was hoping that it would last and maybe she and Ali would be able to marry someday. But at the same time, she worried about whether Ali would want to date a woman who didn't have a disability.

Emily signed, _"I hope that Ali is the one. She has been so accepting of how I am. I don't know if other women would want me like this." _

Pam signed, _"You are a wonderful young woman and I'm sure many would want to date you." _

The mother then teased, _"A lot of young men would also want to date you." _

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Ali meet up with Emily at Starbucks. She found Emily at the table with two drinks. She noticed that Emily had a couple of textbooks and a notebook out on the table and some other materials.

Ali said, "Are you working on homework?"

Emily nodded. Ali took her drink and sipped on it. She watched as Emily was working on things. She then saw some pamphlets and she picked up them. The first pamphlet was for Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.. Several months before, when Ali was researching ASL and deaf communities. She learned about Gallaudet early on. She knew that it was a college for the deaf and hard of hearing. Now that she was seeing Emily's pamphlet, she began to wonder if the brunette was considering going there for college.

When Emily stopped with her homework.

Ali held up the pamphlet and said, "Are you thinking about going there?"

Emily said and signed, "I'm thinking about it. Usually a lot of deaf and hard of hearing kids at least consider Gallaudet. I might go there this summer for a tour."

Ali said, "Would you be able to attend a regular college?"

"I could go to a non-deaf college. Some deaf people do go and the colleges provide them with interpreters and other aides. But I'm not sure if it would work out well for me. Not all hearing people are kind to me and I know that not all of them are patient like you and some hearing people." Emily said.

Ali knew there was some truth to the last part of Emily's statement. Since, they had been dating, Ali saw some people staring whenever Emily was signing or speaking, and later on, people stared at her cochlear implant. Then there were the times Ali caught other people making of fun of Emily's voice. Ali understood some of Emily's fears. But Ali was beginning to worry about their future as a couple. Ali had also been researching various colleges for herself. She began to wonder what would happen the following year when both she and Emily were seniors in high school.


	12. Chapter 12

Someone Different Chapter 12

The next few months went by quickly and summer came. Emily's summer vacation started a week early before Ali's. Both girls were exicited because they would be able to spend extra time with each other. Toby managed to get Ali a part time summer job at Starbucks and Emily was also going to be working part time at the Deaf School's summer day camp program that would be starting two weeks later.

Emily moved back home with her mom. She now felt comfortable living in the same house with her and her father also arrived in Philadelphia. Aria was also going to be staying with the Fields family for awhile. Her parents were coming back from New Zealand at the end of the summer.

A few weeks after, summer break had started, Ali went to the summer day camp to pick up Emily. She watched as Emily was playing with the younger kids and showing them games. She seemed good with the kids.

Emily noticed her, she said bye to the kids and her other co-workers before going over to Ali. She and Ali kissed and then headed out of the building.

They got into Ali's car and headed over to Samara's house. The Pride Group at Wilson decided to meet over the summer at different member houses. For the first summer meeting, Samara encouraged members' to bring their significant others. Emily had gotten to know Samara and Shana over the past few months and she was a bit exicited to meet other gay kids.

They arrived at Samara's house and the blonde directed them to the backyard. The Pride Group had grown a bit, kids that had been previously closeted, came out and joined the group.

Mr. Jacobson spotted Ali and came over, "Hi Ali, how are you liking your summer?"

"It's been fun so far, I'm working part time. This is my girlfriend Emily." Ali said.

Mr. Jacobson put his hand out and Emily slowly said, "Nice to meet you."

Shana them came over to the girls and hugged the girls.

Shana asked, "Emily, how is your summer?"

"It's going well." Emily said.

Ali then introduced Emily to other group members. But later on, Ali overheard one of the male members telling another member that he couldn't understand why Ali would date a girl with a disability. Ali was annoyed with that comment, but she decided to ignore it and not cause a scene.

The meeting eventually started, part of the focus was on relationships with after high school.

Mr. Jacobson said, "One of the hardest parts of life is sometimes losing friendships after high school, when everyone goes their own ways. Sometimes you are able to maintain high school friendships. When it comes to high school love relationships those can suffer a bit whether you are gay or straight. Long distance relationships sometimes do work. But my advice is always be prepared for heartbreak."

Those words really stung in Ali. Months before, she had slowly began to worry about what would happen to her and Emily after high school. She had seen attempts by different people in her life to have long distance relationships and most of them didn't work.

* * *

A few days later, Ali was the Fields home hanging out with Aria and Emily. They were watching TV.

Pam came into the living room and focused on Aria and Emily and in signing and speaking said, "Mrs. Winston just called from school, she said that there is going to be a trip to D.C., in two weeks to tour Gallaudet. She was wondering if you girls would want to do that tour or wait for another one."

Aria and Emily then started communicating with each other sign language and both decided to go on that tour.

Pam signed and said, "I'll call Mrs. Winston right now to tell her that you two will be joining the tour."

Ali then looked at Emily and asked, "Aria is considering Gallaudet too?"

Aria read Ali's lips and signed, _"It is the only college I would consider going to. I'm glad that Emily and Spencer are also considering it." _

Ali understood what Ali signed. Some anger was brewing inside the blonde, she wanted Emily to think about other colleges.

Emily then asked Ali, "What colleges are you applying to?"

Ali said, "There are a few here in Pennsylvania and a couple in Ohio that I'm planning to apply to. I'm also researching some in farther states"

Since Ali was an only child, her parents had managed to save up a lot for her college education because her parents had some stock investments. She wouldn't have worry too much about tuition. But she didn't want to be too far from her parents and now Emily.

* * *

Ali went home and started researching colleges in Washington D.C. She figured that maybe attending college there could work. It was only two and a half hours away from Philadelphia. She looked at info at various colleges there, but none of them interested her. She then thought about looking into colleges at nearby areas. But she was tired to keep looking at her laptop. She shut down her laptop and laid on her bed.

The next two weeks went by quickly. Ali was at the Fields home, so she could spend time with Emily before she went to D.C., for two days. They were lying on Emily's bed.

Ali faced Emily and said, "Are you going to apply to other colleges and think about them?"

Emily said, "Maybe I will. But I think it is likely that I will be going to Gallaudet."

The brunette then said, "Do you think we could still make it after high school, you know in our relationship."

"I don't know Em. I'm thinking about applying in colleges in or near D.C., to be close to you." Ali said.

Emily responded, "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm not sure, some colleges do interest me and others don't. I'm also thinking about applying to colleges in Maryland which is close by. I really love you Emily and don't want to be too far away from you." Ali said.

The blonde then said, "Emily, you don't have to go to a college for deaf people. You have been going to a deaf school your entire life, don't you think it is time for a change. I mean you have your cochlear implant now and things have improved for you. It's time that you be in the hearing world more."

Emily said, "I'm not ready for it. I still have a disability and you know how some people treat met."

"You have to stop being scared of things. You have to take risks, you can't be a weak deaf girl all the time." Ali said.

Emily was angry when she heard the last part of Ali's sentence.

She responded, "That is what you think of me. I'm a weak deaf girl."

"I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry." Ali responded quickly.

"Yes, you did mean it."

Ali said, "Emily, I want the best for you and I want you to expand your life. You need to be apart of my world too."

Emily snapped and said, "You were part of the reason I decided to get a cochlear implant. I'm still not good enough for you."

Ali said, "Emily, calm down. I know I shouldn't have called you a weak deaf girl. But I just want you to have the best. Maybe going to a deaf college is the best thing for you, but you don't want to explore other options. Look, I'm going to leave now. Things are tense. I wish you well on your trip."

Ali cried a bit on her way home. In the past, she and Emily had small fights, but this was their first major fight and she began to wonder if they were meant to be together. She was still shocked that Emily revealed part of the reason she got a cochlear implant.


	13. Chapter 13

Someone Different Chapter 13

The next day Emily and Aria were on a bus with other kids on their way to Washington D.C. Aria was aware of what happened between Emily and Ali. She tried to discuss with Emily, but the latter refused to discuss it further. The bus finally pulled up to the Gallaudet campus. Tour guides met with the group and started give them a basic intro tour.

After that tour, the students were taken to their hotel. Emily and Aria were rooming together.

Aria asked, _"What did you think of the campus?_

"_I like it. I know we will see more tomorrow." Emily responded._

The taller brunette then pulled out her laptop. She felt some pain when her desktop came up, the wallpaper was a picture of her and Ali. She had not responded to some of the texts Ali sent after the fight. She did wonder if Ali was right in some ways, maybe it was time for the brunette to change. Maybe she needed to experience the hearing world more.

* * *

Back in Philadelphia, Ali was a bit down because of the fight. She was on shift on Starbucks with Toby. Toby sensed something was wrong with the blonde.

"Is everything ok, Alison you seem a little down today?" Toby asked.

"I had fight with Emily yesterday. I said something that I shouldn't have said and she got upset. She has not responded to any of my texts." Ali said.

"I see. Can I ask what the fight was about?"

Ali replied, "You know how Emily and some of the other kids from the deaf school are considering going to that deaf college in D.C?"

Toby nodded.

"I told Emily that maybe she should consider other colleges and experience the hearing world more. I was trying to telling her to be stronger, but I made the mistake of saying that she was a weak deaf girl because she is still scared of the hearing world even after the cochlear implant." Ali said.

"She got upset." Toby said.

"Yeah. I don't blame her. I shouldn't have called her weak. I know she isn't weak. She has been through a lot in her life being deaf and a lesbian." Ali said.

"Maybe Spencer or one of the girls could help you, you find a way to apologize to Emily." Toby said.

"I thought about that. But I don't know, it that would help." Ali said.

The blonde stayed thinking a bit about how she could apologize and make up with Emily. She then thought of talking to someone other than Emily's close friends, but she was a bit hesitant when she thought about the particular person.

* * *

The next day, Emily, Aria, and the other students arrived back at Gallaudet for the second day of the tour. The second day would be more in depth and would include meeting with various key figures on campus.

The tour guides showed them various parts of the campus and campus programs were discussed. The programs were pretty similar to the programs Emily had been in at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. One of the tour guides signed about a new program for students who had undergone cochlear implants. Emily liked that. So far she had not talked to a lot of people who had the implants done. There were other things about the college that Emily liked, but she did begin to wonder if Ali was right about possibly considering other colleges.

The second day of the tour concluded. The group went back to the hotel room.

Emily signed to Aria, _"Aria, are you considering other colleges?"_

Aria responded, "_I am. Well, my dad is pushing me to consider other colleges. I think he wishes that he could teach me at Temple." _

Aria's father Byron was an English professor at Temple University. He had been teaching there before Aria was born. He enjoyed his profession and he even helped educate Aria outside of the deaf school when it came to English and literature. The girl enjoyed reading various books with her father. Byron and Ella had considered putting Aria in a non-deaf school when she was younger, but they didn't out of fear that their daughter would be bullied.

The short brunette signed to Emily, _"I know that schools and colleges would have to accommodate to us, by having interpreters and other resources. But what if people got fed up by being around us. I sometimes feel like a burden to my family. I wish I could experience some the things that they experience" _

Emily signed, _"I know, there are things I wish I could experience. The cochlear implant has helped me a bit. But I know I won't ever completely like how Alison is in the hearing world." _

Aria responded, _"You love her and she loves you. Maybe she wants you to grow as a person." _

* * *

Pam was in her home reading a book in the living room when she heard a knock on the door. She went over and saw Ali on her doorstep.

Ali was nervous and she said, "Hi Mrs. Fields. Emily probably told you what happened. I'm sorry about what I said to her, I didn't mean it."

"Emily told me about the fight and I know you didn't mean what you said. Emily and Aria won't be back until tomorrow." Pam said.

"I know. I was wondering if I could talk to you for advice."

Pam said, "Come on in."

The two went into the living room and took their seats.

Ali looked at Pam and said, "I want to make up with Emily. I really care about her and I want the best for her. I shouldn't have called her weak. I just want her to try and experience new things."

Pam said, "Ali, you are a human being. We aren't always perfect and life gets frustrating at times. Emily's father and I have been frustrated in the past. It was hard getting the news that your baby was deaf. It was difficult trying to communicate with a toddler who couldn't hear you. Sometimes I was upset that Emily was deaf. I know what you mean about wanting Emily to experience new things. I want her to get married someday and have a family of her own. I know those things won't be easy, but in the end they are never easy for anyone."

Ali asked, "How did you and Mr. Fields deal with things in the past? Did you ever encourage her to do a lot of things with hearing people?"

"We tried early on. The baby signing we did with her when she was a toddler worked ok for us, but not for other people. Play groups refused to let her join and it was the same with regular day cares. She was four when we started the deaf school started to help us. As she got older, we tried to get her do things with hearing kids in the neighbor, but she was already used to the friends she made at the deaf school. I'm grateful that Hanna, Spencer,and Aria have been such good friends to Emily. But she is going to need different kinds of friends in life." Pam said.

Ali responded, "I might be wrong, but I want Emily to experience more of where I'm coming from. The cochlear implant has helped her a bit with hearing. But I think Emily could do well in different environments. I have to confess that part of the reason, I told Emily to consider other colleges is because I'm hoping that somehow we could go to college together. I know I'm still very young and I shouldn't do things like that. But I don't want to be away from Emily."

"I know how love is Ali. When you are truly in love with someone, you can't bear the thought of them not being close by. You are also young and yes, sweetie some things do change. But at this point, when it comes to the future, you need to play it by ear and you have to have faith that everything will be ok." Pam said.

Ali said, "That is some good advice. What I should I do to get Emily's forgiveness?"

Pam went over to the girl and gave her a side hug and said, "Just apologize and again explain where you are coming from and just be you."

Ali said, "Thank you for helping me Mrs. Fields."

"Start calling me Pam."

* * *

T

he next day, Aria and Emily entered the Fields home. The two girls went upstairs and as they opened the door, they saw Ali sitting on the bed. Aria figured that the blonde was there to speak with Emily. She then left the room.

Emily didn't know how to respond to Ali's presence.

Ali signed and said, "I'm here to apologize. I shouldn't have said those things and I shouldn't be pressuring you to do anything that you don't want to do. I'm sorry Emily."

Emily then said with signing, "You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't have flipped out at you. You meant well when you said that maybe I should make some changes in my life. I liked touring Gallaudet and the campus is nice and everything. But it's not that much different from the deaf school I've been going to. Maybe it's time for a change, but I don't know if I'm ready to be in the hearing world more."

Ali said, "I'll help you with that. I'm sure Toby, Samara, and Shana and others would be willing to help you."

Emily then pulled Ali into a hug and said, "I'm going to think more about applying to other colleges. I hope that we can be together for a long time."

The blonde said, "Let's not worry too much about the future."

Emily nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey everyone, thank you for the feedback and support on this story. The next chapter probably won't be up for a few days. I have to work on other stories and I have some family stuff going on this week because of Easter. **


	14. Chapter 14

Someone Different Chapter 14

After resolving their conflict, Emily and Ali focused on having fun the rest of the summer day camp. Ali would sometimes visit Emily at the summer day camp and some of the kids liked Emily's girlfriend. One day as the day camp was ending, one of the faculty advisors went up to Emily and signed, _"Emily, come into my office later on, I need to discuss something with you. _

Later on, Emily entered the office of Mrs. Finch, the faculty advisor.

"_Emily, the reason I called you into the office is because one of the parents and a student body member complained about you kissing your girlfriend. I have no issues with gays and lesbians Emily. But like all communities, some are opposed to homosexuality. I hate to be strict, but I think it would be best if Ali didn't come back to the summer day camp." Mrs. Finch said._

Anger boiled up in Emily. She was upset that a couple of people in the deaf community were against her relationship with Ali.

She later went over to visit Ali at work. When Ali was on a break, she went outside of the coffee shop with Emily.

Emily said and signed, "A parent and a student complained about us kissing at the summer day camp. Mrs. Finch thinks it would be best that you didn't go back to visit me during work. I'm sorry Ali. It's makes me so mad that people in the deaf community are against our relationship too. "

"It's ok Em, it's not your fault. Eventually, somebody in that community would have given us a hard time. Your mom has come to accept us and I think that is what matters." Ali said.

Emily signed and said, "I know. But it still makes me upset that people connected to a disability would also hate others for being gay."

Ali said, "Maybe we could ask, Samara, Shana, or for help with this."

Emily nodded.

* * *

A few days later, Emily and Ali were meeting a gay and deaf man named Rob at Starbucks. Through talking to , Ali found out about his friend Rob. Mr. Jacobson contacted Rob to meet with the girls.

The girls watched as Rob came into the cafe. He had light brown hair, green eyes, and a slight tan. He appeared to be in his early 30s.

Mr. Jacobson sent him a picture of Emily and Ali.

He walked over to their table and signed and said "Hello._"_

Emily signed back to him_, _"Hello, it's nice to meet you Rob. I'm Emily and this is Ali."

Rob smiled.

Ali signed, _"Nice to meet you."_

Emily looked at Rob and signed, _"Do you want to order a drink? The barista Toby knows sign language._"

A look of relief formed on Rob's face and he signed, _"I'll be right back." _

Minutes later, Rob and the two girls were sipping on their coffee.

Emily signed to Rob, _"It's good to finally meet another gay person who is also deaf. Do you have a boyfriend" _

Rob signed back and said, "I have meet a few others that are deaf and one of them is my boyfriend Kyle. I understand the frustration you're having Emily. Trust me, there are some people in both the hearing and deaf worlds that are against gay people. Sometimes religion and other factors play into their thinking. Even in other disabled communities, there are prejudices against gay people. I wish things were better, but right now all we can do is focus on educating people and trying to get them not to hate us for being gay."

Ali signed to Rob, " _How did you go deaf? Did your parents accept that you were gay right away?"_

Rob said, " I got meningitis when I was three. My parents accepted me right away when I came out. But they have always been on the liberal side and they have had gay friends since before I was born."

Emily signed and said, "It took my mother awhile to accept me. She had issues with gay people for a long time and then when I came out, she was upset because I gay in addition to be being deaf. She has come around thanks in part to Ali's mother."

"How did you and Ali meet?" Rob asked.

Emily and Ali then both told Rob through signing and speaking about how they met and how their relationship started. They told them about Emily's cochlear implant surgery and other things.

Rob signed, _"Even though, I just met you two. I think you two seem perfect each other. _

Emily and Ali smiled at each other. Rob had been previously told about the incident at the summer day camp which lead to Ali not being asked to visit Emily again at work.

Rob advised them, "I'm sorry that Ali can't visit you. You two could challenge that. But I don't think it would be worth it. Since summer will be over in a few weeks. You and Ali are still very young and you two aren't married or are in a domestic partnership. People will continue not to think of your relationship as merit in certain situations. Right now, you have to prepared in case stuff like this happens. Sometimes you may be able to fight against discrimination, but others time you two might not be lucky because of your ages. If something ever comes up again, text me and I can try to be find ways to help.

Emily signed, _"Thank you."_

* * *

The summer day camp program ended two weeks later. Emily would have two more weeks of free time, before the new school year started. Today, Aria's parents and brother Mike would be arriving from New Zealand. She could tell the short brunette was excited to see them after being a year apart

Aria was packing up her things and Emily was helping her.

Pam later came up and signed to Aria, _"Your parents just pulled up." _

The girl then rushed downstairs and Emily and Pam followed behind.

They watched as Aria was hugging her parents. Then Aria's brother Mike signed, "_I missed you." _

Aria hugged him.

Pam in signing and speaking said, "Come into the kitchen for coffee and muffins."

The group filled into the kitchen table. Pam and Emily served them.

Ella in speaking and signing asked Aria, _"How did you and Emily like the tour of Gallaudet?" _

"_I like it a lot and so did Emily. I'm actually thinking about going to Temple next year. " _Aria signed.

Both Ella and Byron were surprised at the revelation. Byron was a bit happy, but he was worried.

He spoke directly to Aria so she could read his lips, "Are you sure about Temple? You have always been in deaf schools. Your mother and I did think about putting you in mainstream school years ago, but we didn't want you to be bullied or anything. If you don't want to go to Temple that is ok with me."

Aria spoke to her father, "I am serious about Temple. You know that they will accommodate me. I could take one of your classes."

Byron smiled and hugged his daughter.

Later on, the Montgomerys left the Fields home, before they left Byron and Ella thanked Pam for allowing Aria to stay with them.

* * *

A few days later, Emily, Spencer, Aria and Hanna got together at Aria's house for a sleepover. Aria thought about inviting Ali to the sleepover, but decided not to. She wanted the sleepover to be for the friends.

Spencer brought over wine and some other booze.

Spencer signed, _"I can't believe senior year is about to start soon. We have been through a lot over years. I'm start to worry about the future. I worry about me and Toby. He is two years older than me and he is about to finish up trade school and I'm still deciding on college. I really want to go to Gallaudet."_

Emily signed, _"I know what you mean. I don't know about college yet and I don't want to break up or be apart from Ali."_

Hanna stayed quiet on the subject. Both she and Caleb made the decision to attend college at Gallaudet. Since both of them were deaf, in a way it made certain things or decisions easier. She felt bad in way for Spencer and Emily because their futures with their significant others weren't clear.

Aria faced Spencer and Hanna and signed, _"I already told Emily this. But I'm thinking about staying here in Philadelphia and attending Temple. I want to experience a different kind of education setting and plus I can be closer to my dad and I can take some of this classes._"

Spencer and Hanna were a bit shocked.

Hanna signed, _"Aren't you scared of the hearing community? You will have a hard time fitting in, you know that."_

Aria signed, _"I know. But maybe I need to try a change. Ali has encouraged Emily to consider other colleges and be apart of the hearing world more. That inspired me a bit. Maybe you and Caleb could go off to non-deaf school."_

Hanna signed, _"No"_ right away. Hanna in some ways feared the hearing world more than the other girls. She feared more in part because her mother was also deaf.

Spencer decided to change the subject because she could tell that her friends were all worried about the future. Aria was the only one who had never had a significant other and that was because she felt her disability was a turn off and she was still avoiding asking Jake out on a date.

The girls then played some board games, one was a special Scrabble game that used the ASL alphabet on the tiles. Eventually they fell asleep. The next morning, they awoke slowly. Hanna noticed small pebbles hitting the bedroom window.

She signed to the other girls, _"Someone is trying to get our attention."_

They went to the window and looked down and saw Ali smiling up at Emily.

* * *

**Author's Note: The next update might not be for another few days.**


	15. Chapter 15

Someone Different Chapter 15

The new school year started for Emily. Ali would be starting her school year, a week later at Wilson. Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Aria attended the kick off assembly and then found their classes. After school, Aria and Emily hung out in Spencer and Hanna's dorm room for awhile. Emily headed to Ali's.

Ali's father Kenneth answered the door and called out for Ali that Emily was here.

The girls went up to Ali's room.

In signing and speaking Ali asked, "How was school for you today?"

"It wasn't too busy being the first day and all. I don't have homework and probably won't for another couple of days. Are you nervous about starting school next week?" Emily said in signing and speaking.

"I'm kind of nervous. I'm happy to being starting my senior year. The year will be kind of easy since I only have to take Senior English, Government, and Calculus and the rest are electives. I have to tell you Emily that I'm going in a couple of weeks to tour Rutgers in New Jersey. My parents went there and they want me to at least consider that school." Ali said.

Emily responded, "It's ok, you have to think about your future too. I want to ask you Ali to the Welcome Back Night at my school. It is this annual event and it is going to be this Friday. I understand if you don't want to go."

"I would love to go." Ali said as she hugged Emily.

* * *

Friday rolled around. The Welcome Back event was going to start at 6 pm. Ali started getting ready around 3 pm. She told Emily that she would meet her at the deaf school. Emily was waiting near the entrance with Aria for Ali. She smiled when she saw Ali.

The three girls went into the school's gymnasium. Ali noticed a few movie screens set up and the screens were playing short films that featured sign language. There was some music playing and Ali thought that was a bit odd, but she also realized that some of the students were hard of hearing and some had cochlear implants like Emily. Since getting her cochlear implant, Emily was able to better understand music, but she didn't completely understand it like Ali did.

Emily and Ali went over to the food table to get something to eat when they spotted Spencer and Toby.

Toby came up to Emily and Ali and said, "Hey, how are you two doing?"

"I'm doing well." Ali said and Emily signed the same thing to Toby.

A few minutes later, Hanna's mother Ashley approached Emily.

Ashely signed, "_Hi Emily, how are you doing? Hanna told me you got a cochlear implant?" _

"_I'm doing good. The implant has helped me with some things. I know that subject is controversial with you, but thank you Ashley for not judging me for it." _Emily signed.

"_You're welcome and this must be Ali." _

Ali was able to understand some of what Ashley and Emily signed. She had been told before that Hanna's mother was also deaf.

Emily signed and said, "Ali, this is Hanna's mother Ashley?"

Ali faced the woman and signed and said, "Hello."

Ashley took Ali's hand and shook it.

Awhile later, Emily's parents arrived and so did Aria's parents. Emily introduced Ali to Ella and Byron Montgomery. Emily and Ali then noticed that Spencer seemed sad. Emily knew why. It was well known that Spencer's parents never attended events at the deaf school unless they needed to. When they did attend events it was easy to spot how uncomfortable they felt and how disappointed they were about Spencer's disability.

Emily went over to where Toby and Spencer were sitting.

She signed to her friend, _"You're upset that your parents aren't here?"_

"_I am. I wish they could at least put their work on hold and attend one of these events and be happy about it."_ Spencer signed back.

Emily then hugged her friend.

Ali watched as Emily comforted Spencer. She then heard some sirens, which she figured were coming from the streets near the school.

Later on, some of the students and parents started dancing.

Ali said to Emily, "Come on, let's dance."

Emily signed and said, "I have never danced before."

"I'll show you some moves." Ali said.

The blonde led the brunette to the dance floor and she showed her how to dance to the upbeat music.

The Welcome Back event came to an end. Emily was going to be riding home with her parents.

Ali said, "I'll pick you up tomorrow at 1 pm for our double date with Shana and Samara."

Emily said, "I'll be ready."

The two girls kissed.

* * *

On her drive home, Ali heard her phone go off. But she didn't want to risk answering it while driving. After she pulled into her driveway, she picked up her phone and saw a text from Samara that read, "Something happened to Shana, give me a call back."

Ali went into her house and immediately dialed Samara's number.

She heard Samara's voice say "Hello." Ali noticed that Samara's voice sounded shaky.

Ali said, "Hey it's me Ali, what happened to Shana, are things ok with you two?"

"Ali, I'm here at the hospital, Shana was beaten up pretty badly earlier tonight. She went to school today for a yearbook club meeting and she was found behind the school." Samara said.

Ali then remembered the sirens she heard at the Welcome Back event. Those sirens must have been coming across the street from Wilson High.

Samara then said, "The police think it was a hate crime. They think she was targeted for being gay or maybe because she is black."

Ali began shaking as she took in the information that Samara told her. A few minutes later, she hung up with Samara. She cried and then went into her parents' bedroom and told them about what happened to Shana. Her parents did their best to comfort her. Ali thought about texting Emily to tell her about Shana, but she decided to wait until the next day. The young blonde was unable to sleep that night.

* * *

The next day around 11:00 am, she drove over to the Fields home.

She rang the doorbell and Pam answered it.

"Oh Hi Alison, you're here early, come in we are having brunch." Pam said.

"Yeah, I know I'm here early. There is something I need to tell you all." Ali said sadly.

Pam lead the girl into the kitchen.

Emily smiled as she saw her girlfriend, but she immediately noticed that Ali looked tired and sad. She went over kissed Ali and Ali smiled a little.

Emily said, "Why are you here early?"

Ali said, "Emily, last night Shana was attacked outside Wilson. She was beaten very badly and she is in coma."

A look of shock formed on the brunette's face.

Wayne said, "Do they know who did it?"

"I talked to Samara awhile ago, she said that the police don't know who. But they think it was a hate crime. They think it was someone or a group of people who knew that Shana is a lesbian. The police are also thinking it could have been a racially motivated hate crime"

A few moments later, Pam got near Emily and said, "Sweetie, I'm worried for your safety now. I don't want you to be alone after school around the deaf school and Wilson."

Wayne said, "Ali, I want you to be careful too. I'm sure people have seen you and Emily together, holding hands and kissing."

The blonde said, "My parents are very worried right now. We have known that violent hate crimes against gay people happen, but you don't really get shook up, until it happens to someone that you know."

Emily said, "Can we see Shana in the hospital?"

"I talked to Samara and she said that Shana's parents are wanting support from everyone and they are welcoming anyone at the hospital. We can go in awhile, if you want to." Ali said.

Emily nodded.

* * *

Two hours later, the girls arrived at one of the larger hospitals in Philadelphia. Samara sent a text about where Shana's room was. The girls rode up a series of elevators before coming up on a intensive care unit. Ali spotted Samara from several feet away. She was surrounded by a group of people which included Mr. Jacobson and other Pride group members.

Ali and Emily walked over and both embraced Samara who cried. Samara then introduced them to Shana's parents were grateful for Ali and Emily's support. Twenty minutes later, Ali and Emily accompanied Samara to Shana's room.

Ali and Emily were shocked to see Shana lying on hospital bed. Her face was bruised and she was in a neck brace. It appeared her left wrist was broken and in a cast.

Emily asked, "Do the doctors think she will improve?"

Samara tearfully said, "They don't know when she will wake up and the doctors are considering doing surgery on her brain"

Ali and Emily then watched as Samara sat in a chair close to the hospital bed and she placed her head on Shana's chest and cried.

* * *

A few hours later, Ali drove Emily home. The brunette asked her mother if Ali could spend the night. Pam agreed because she figured that Emily and Ali were both saddened by what was happening with Shana. Ali went home quickly to pick up clothes and other things for an overnight stay.

She ate dinner with Emily and her parents. She could tell that Pam and Wayne were very worried. The Fields parents tried to stay upbeat and said that they hoped Shana would come out of the coma. After dinner, Pam made popcorn and she guided the girls into the living room and said, "Let's have a comedy movie night."

The four watched a couple of comedy movies and the girls managed to get their mind off of Shana for a few minutes at time. Later, the girls went up to Emily's room. Both were pretty quiet and didn't sign or speak much for awhile.

Ali said to Emily, "I think we need to keep certain things about ourselves on the down low. If they are people out there targeting gay teens, we are putting ourselves at risk more if we go around holding hands and kissing."

Emily said, "I was thinking the same thing."

She then took Ali into her arms and said, "I don't know how Samara is being so strong now. I can't imagine how I would be doing if someone hurt you like that."

Ali responded, "I don't know how I would deal with it either. We will go back to the hospital tomorrow and be there with Samara."

Emily said, "I love you."


	16. Chapter 16

The next Emily and Ali returned to the hospital. They found Samara in the waiting room trying to read a magazine.

Samara smiled and said, "Hey you two. Thanks for coming."

"It's no problem. How is Shana?" Ali asked.

"There is no change." Samara said sadly.

Emily sat next to Samara and hugged her.

Samara said, "Thank you. I needed that."

"Why aren't in you in Shana's room?" Ali asked.

Samara replied, "The doctors are running tests and talking to Shana's parents."

Ali said, "About we go across the street to get some coffee. You need a slight break from this hospital."

Samara said, "No."

Emily said, "Come on, we won't be gone long."

Samara then got up and the three girls headed across the street.

In the small cafe, they ordered coffee and pies.

Ali asked Samara, "What are you going to do about school?"

"I plan to go in tomorrow. I need to focus on school too, the school year is barely starting. After school, I'll go back to the hospital and work on my homework there. I just hope Shana wakes up soon." Samara said.

Emily put her hand on Samara's to comfort her.

Ali said, "If you need anything, we are here for you and I'm sure the others from the Pride group will support you."

"Everyone has been great. I appreciate it." Samara said.

The girls then started talking about other things like school and what Emily was doing at the deaf school. Later on, Samara's phone buzzed. She looked at her phone for a few minutes.

She then looked at the two other girls and said, "I got a text from Shana's father, they found the guys who hurt Shana. They go to Wilson. Their names are Jeff Franklin, Paul Peters, and Kevin Sampson. I remember Jeff used to give me and Shana a hard time. I never thought he could do something so bad to her."

Samara then broke down crying. Emily and Ali walked her out of the cafe where they both comforted her. They went back to the hospital and they went into Shana's room. The doctors and nurses told the girls to talk to Shana. So they did. Samara told Shana about how Emily, Ali, and others were being supportive of her.

* * *

Eventually, Emily and Ali left the hospital and went over to Emily's house. The two girls told Pam and Wayne about how Shana's attackers were caught and in police custody. The parents were relieved to hear that but they still worried for Emily and Ali.

The girls went up to Emily's room. They watched movies, kissed, and did what they could to try and get their minds off of Shana and Samara for awhile.

Emily said, "I don't think I will be able to go to the hospital after school tomorrow. I have a deaf theater practice."

Ali responded, "That's ok. Samara will understand and she knows that we are doing our best to help her out."

Emily said, "Aria, Hanna, and Spencer are coming over in awhile. I hope that is ok with you."

"Sure it is. They are your friends." Ali said.

"They're your friends too."

"I know. But I'm still not close with them like you are." Ali said.

An hour later, the other three girls arrived. Emily filled them in on what was going on with Samara and Shana. The deaf girls knew about Samara and Shana, but they had never met them. They felt bad for the couple and they began to worry about Ali and Emily's safety.

Ali managed to have some sign language conversations with them. At times when around Emily's deaf friends, Ali felt a bit left out but she never told Emily about it. Later on, Aria pulled Ali aside.

In her speaking voice, Aria said, "Ali, can you help me with something?"

"Ok." Ali said.

Aria then said, "Can we go downstairs?"

"Sure.

Aria and Ali went downstairs.

"What do you need?" Ali said in speaking and signing to Aria.

"I want to ask a boy out. A hearing boy out. I've gotten some advice from Spencer, but I want to get advice from you too. How did you feel when you asked Emily out." Aria said in speaking and signing.

"I admit I was a bit unsure because of Emily being deaf. But I figured asking her out wasn't going to hurt. Things can be hard at times, but Emily and I try to work through whatever challenges arise." Ali said.

"Emily is lucky that you are very accepting. I worry if Jake would want to go out with me if I asked him. I don't know if he sees me as equal to hearing people." Aria said.

"You have take that chance and see how he feels." Ali said.

Aria responded, "Can you help me with that?"

Ali said, "I'll be happy to help you."

* * *

The next day, Emily was leaving her theater practice when she saw Dr. Sullivan coming towards her.

She signed, "Hi Dr. Sullivan?"

Dr. Sullivan responded, "Hi Emily, I have some good news for you. It is college related. Come with me to my office."

Emily followed Dr. Sullivan to the office. Since Dr. Sullivan also served as the school's guidance counselor, she discussed college related subjects with students all the time.

Emily took a seat and Dr. Sullivan pulled out some papers.

Dr. Sullivan signed, "_Emily, the admissions department at Gallaudet sent this over. They are giving you early acceptance based on your academic record here and they are offering you a full scholarship." _

Emily was a bit overwhelmed over the good news. She had always done well in school and she was surprised by the full scholarship offer. She knew her parents would be happy with the news of a full scholarship. Wayne and Pam had worried about money and Emily's future.

But then Emily started to think about Ali and their future. After leaving Dr. Sullivan's office, the girl went home and told her parents the good news. Pam and Wayne were very proud of their daughter.

Wayne signed, "Have you told Ali?"

Emily signed and said, "I haven't told her. I'm going to wait awhile to tell her."


	17. Chapter 17

Someone Different Chapter 17

The next few days went by. Both Emily and Ali continued visting Shana in the hospital and giving support to Samara. Shana's condition didn't change and the doctors planned a brain surgery for the following week. Emily invited to Ali to see her at one of her deaf theater practices. Ali met Emily outside the deaf school and they went into the auditorium. Aria and Hanna were also apart of the deaf theater group. Ali sat in the audience and watched as the students were performing sign language scenes from Much Ado About Nothing.

After the theater practice finished up, Emily, Aria, and Hanna met up with Ali.

Aria in her speaking voice said, "Ali, I think I'm finally ready to ask Jake out."

Ali smiled and said, "That's good. Do you want me to help you come up with a plan?"

Aria nodded.

Emily smiled. She was glad that her friends were becoming closer to Ali. The four girls then walked over to Starbucks. Toby wasn't working, so Ali placed their orders. They took a seat at the table.

Aria talked about how Jake and Holden worked at a martial arts studio that Aria had visited before. Ali said that approaching Jake there would be perfect. Hanna and Emily also gave suggestions about wardrobe and other things Aria should do.

Aria signed and said, "I'm thinking about asking Joe with my speaking voice. He has learned a little bit of sign language from Holden. I know I'm hard to understand at times, but I worry about my voice turning him off."

Ali said, "Well, if you don't feel comfortable with your voice around Jake, you don't have to use it.

Emily in signing and speaking, "I think it is ok if you don't use your voice. I didn't use my voice with Ali for awhile. I know Ali sometimes has trouble understanding me."

Ali smiled and said, "It is hard at times, but I've gotten used to it and you have improved since you got the cochlear implant and with the speech therapy."

Hanna then signed to Aria, _"Maybe you could ask out Jake in a letter, if you are still really nervous." _

Aria signed back, "_Maybe that would work."_

Later on, the girls started discussing other things and the college topic came up. Emily had told her friends to keep her secret about the Gallaudet scholarship. Aria told the girls about how she and her father worked on her application to Temple.

Ali said, "Well, my parents and I are headed up to Rutgers next weekend."

* * *

A few days later, Shana's brain surgery was performed. The doctors told friends and family that they relieved some of the pressure from Shana's brain and now it was waiting game. Samara and Shana's parents were told that if Shana recovered more, it would be very likely that she would have brain damage and other disabilites. Emily went over to the hospital to be with Samara.

Samara asked Emily at the hospital, "Emily, can I ask what it is like to have a disability?"

Emily didn't know how to exactly respond. She had accepted for a long time that she was different and that her deafness would always be an obstacle. She was confused about Samara's question mostly because Emily wasn't intellectually effected by her disability. The brunette felt bad for Samara, but she didn't know how she could relate more to Shana's possible future.

After several minutes, Emily finally looked and Samara and said, "Well, I always had my disability and I've never known what it is like to be completely normal like hearing people. I was always in deaf schools and programs. My cochlear implant has changed my life a bit. Whatever happens with Shana will be difficult, but you have to try and stay positive."

Samara said, "I just wish Shana would wake up."

"I do too. I need to be honest with you Samara, I'm not sure if I gave you good advice, I mean my situation is different from Shana's, I don't know how much I could help you." Emily said.

"It's ok. You and the others have helped me out a lot. You are brave person Emily and you have overcame things that I can't imagine." Samara said.

Samara then leaned forward and kissed Emily on the mouth. The brunette was shocked and pulled away from Samara.

"I'm so sorry Emily, I should haven't done that." Samara said quickly.

"It's ok. You're just going through a lot of emotions." Emily said.

Even though, Samara was the one who kissed her. Emily felt she betrayed Ali. She knew how Ali was hurt by her ex Sarah.

Emily got up and said, "Look, I'll go home."

* * *

Over the couple of days, Emily found excuses not to go the hospital with Ali to see Samara. It was a Friday, when Emily was at Ali's house. The blonde was packing a small suitcase for her trip to New Jersey.

Emily signed and said, "I'm going to miss you."

"I will too sweetie." Ali said.

Emily asked, "Maybe we could meet up for dinner on Sunday night when you get back."

"That would be great. I'll see what happens. I hope you go to the hospital this weekend to be there for Samara." Ali said.

Emily got a bit nervous, but kept her composure and said, "Sure, I'll go."

Ali said, "I really feel for Samara, but if Shana doesn't wake up. I think Samara may need to move on with her life and maybe with someone else."

Emily said, "I think so too."

* * *

Ali and her parents left the next morning to New Jersey. It was only a one hour drive. Ali had tried to convince her parents to do a day trip to do the tour. But they insisted they spend part of an extra day touring the campus.

When they arrived at the campus, Kenneth and Jessica began pointing out campus spots and they told Ali about their college days. Even though Ali was slightly annoyed by it, she liked that her parents had such strong college memories and that they had fallen in love during their college years.

The tour guide, a tall woman with light brown hair named Carrie introduced herself to the family.

"It is always good when alumni and their children come for tours. We do enjoy continued legacies here at Rutgers." Carrie said.

The tour guide started the tour, by first showing the main administration offices and she showed them come lecture buildings and again Kenneth and Jessica brought up their own college memories.

After several hours, the DiLaurentis family headed to their hotel. Ali set up her laptop and signed into her instant messaging account. She hoped that maybe Emily would go online so they could chat. A few hours later, Ali saw that Emily had signed on.

She then quickly instant message Emily with the message, "_Hey girl, how was your Saturday?" _

At Emily's home, she replied, _"It was good. I went to my school's football game with the girls. How do you like the Rutgers tour?" _

Ali's reply was, _"That's cool. The tour went ok. I did get annoyed by my parents' constant mentions about their college days, but I like that they fell in love in college. I'm going to ask tomorrow if there are any deaf students currently attending. Maybe you could apply to Rutgers."_

Emily got very nervous as she read that reply. She already felt guilty for not telling Ali about the scholarship to Gallaudet. She had applied to several other colleges, but not Rutgers.

Emily then replied, "_I'll fill out an application and maybe I can go up there for a tour." _

Ali thinking about Samara and Shana, then asked, _"Did you go to the hospital today?"_

"_No, I got busy hanging out with the girls. Maybe I will go tomorrow." _Emily replied.

* * *

The next day, Emily entered the hospital and she texted Samara earlier. She saw the blonde on the first floor. She walked over to her.

Samara said, "I'm glad you came Emily."

"I am too. I do care about you and Shana. But I think we need to address the kiss. I feel like I betrayed Ali." Emily said.

"Don't feel that way. I was the one who kissed you. I shouldn't have done that. I feel like betrayed Shana. If anyone should be feeling guilty, it should be me." Samara said.

Emily said, "Don't beat yourself up, Samara. You are in a difficult situation."

Samara simply nodded and a few moments later, she said, "About we go see Shana."

The two girls went up a series of elevators before going into Shana's room. Emily did noticed some external changes to Shana. The bruises had healed quite a bit. Shana's head was still heavily bandaged.

Samara said to Shana, "Sweetheart, I'm here and so is Emily. You need to wake up for all of us. We miss you and we need you."

Emily watched as Samara got into the bed and curled up against Shana. Later on, the two girls discussed other things and how Ali was away visiting Rutgers.

Samara said, "I need to work on some college applications. With everything that is going on, I'm having a hard time thinking about college."

Emily said, "Just apply and maybe play things by ear."

* * *

Later in the day, Emily received a text from Ali which read. _"We are leaving New Bruinswick now, we should be home soon. My parents want to get Chinese takeout and they want you to join us." _

Two hours later, Emily entered the DiLaurentis home.

Kenneth said, "I will be going to pick up dinner right now."

Ali and Jessica lead Emily into the living room. The two told Emily more details about the Rutgers tour.

Ali said at some point, "I asked our tour guide about deaf students and she said that there are currently 10 deaf students enrolled there."

Emily said, "I'm planning to fill out an application. I've filled out an application for Temple. Well Aria convinced me to do that."

Ali then asked, "Has Aria asked out Jake?"

"No, she has not. She is planning to ask him out the day before his birthday." Emily said.

"I hope he says yes." Ali said.

"I hope so too."

* * *

A few days went by, one day while at school Ali noticed that Samara wasn't around during the morning classes. At lunchtime, Mr. Jacobson approached her and said, "Ali, I need you to come with me to my classroom."

Ali followed the teacher up to his classroom on the second floor. She immediately noticed that the other Pride group members minus Samara weren't there"

Mr. Jacobson faced the teens and said, "Kids, a couple of hours ago, I got a call from Shana's parents. Shana's condition took a turn for the worst and she is on life support. The family is planning to take her off in a few days."

Immediately, Ali's heart broke more for Samara.


End file.
